Thunder Strikes Back

Chapter 689 Unresponsive
The Pakistani commandos walked to the concrete entrance on the side that was bombed. Someone was coming out on a stretcher. The commandos helped the Indian guards to carry out the stoned wounded man. There was thick smoke billowing in the entrance. He took the After passing the chemical-resistant satchel of the wounded, he put the gas mask on his head, then easily passed the guard room, turned around and got into the underground command room.

The basement was filled with smoke. Most people had already put on gas masks. No one checked carefully to prevent infiltration. Everyone was always on guard against the second round of cruise missiles that might hit at any time.

The commando didn't see the floor plan, and he didn't actually receive much diving training. He just carried 5 kilograms of explosives and a detonator in his hand, and was ready to die together. From the moment he stepped here, It is doomed that it is impossible to leave here alive. Anyway, all his family members were killed in the air strike of the Indian Air Force. Now he only has one thought, which is to find the most important target in the concealment department.

He saw a man with the rank of major who was walking against most of the people trying to escape, trying to squeeze into the depths of the bunker, and the commandos also pushed through the crowd and followed this man.

The narrow corridor was filled with smoke, and flames sprang overhead, and the fire was spreading along the cables. The round of cruise missile attacks just hit the surface target, but it seemed to cause a short circuit and a fire in the messy interior.

The Indian major slipped into the headquarters, apparently not the highest ranking here.The personnel of the headquarters are packing up their things and are preparing to withdraw to a regiment headquarters under their jurisdiction to continue commanding.In the middle of the command room, Lieutenant General Joshda of the Indian 23rd Division was anxiously waiting for news from outside.

The loss to the headquarters seems not to be large, but this is not the point. The point is that the location of the headquarters has been exposed. Perhaps too many security and air defense forces deployed nearby have attracted the attention of enemy satellites?Maybe the communications unit didn't hide the antenna?He couldn't think of any other possibility at the moment, he had already reduced the radio communication to the minimum, so the enemy shouldn't attack him first, right?
The division commander waved his right hand to disperse the choking smoke. He refused to put on that ridiculous gas mask, and he was unwilling to flee before the news became clear, so he just watched the headquarters in a mess, helpless.He noted that there was a person walking towards him in front of him. The situation seemed not right. Since he was not wearing a gas mask, he could clearly see the bear head embroidered on the military uniform of the person coming. This was not the logo of the 23rd Division, but the Indian 1st Division The symbol of the 1st Armored Division, the 23st Armored Division, which lost more than half, has been sent by Pasade to the rear to replenish troops and accept new American equipment, and it is not near the [-]rd Division.

The person who came suddenly raised his pistol, the lieutenant general was prepared, he quickly dodged and hit the map behind him with a single shot.

The commander of the security company with quick hands and quick eyes rushed forward and threw the spy down. The Pakistani shouted slogans and detonated the bomb.

A reconnaissance satellite that flew in low-earth orbit above the command headquarters of the unit reached the three vents and two exits of the bunker below, emitting flames and thick smoke at the same time. Obviously this was an explosion.

He Fan's reconnaissance battalion quickly bypassed the chaotic enemy positions. He received news from the radio that the Pakistani paratrooper rangers had successfully controlled an intersection.So the commanding troops passed quickly, and the forward tank saw the brief signal from the flashlight at the intersection, so it passed quickly.He Fan's command followed closely behind, and also quickly burrowed in.Now he is about an hour ahead of the scheduled timetable, which will be very beneficial to other subsequent actions, and he is confident that he should establish an advantage over Wang Zhenbei.

The defense of the 23rd Division of India was originally very loose. The main reason was that the front line was too long and the number of troops was insufficient.Pasad mobilized a large number of infantry around New Delhi, but there were not many troops on the important traffic arteries outside. Once the enemy crossed the first line of defense, there would be no complete and connected positions in the rear, which was very beneficial Penetration and raids of tanks.Apparently, Pasade was very afraid of the dispersion of troops, and being surrounded by the Chinese army, he could only gather in one group and dare not divide his troops to fight.His worries are obviously justified. From his point of view, it is difficult to make offensive defenses against opponents with obvious advantages in mobility.Lin Huaisheng's headquarters conducted simulated attacks and defenses many times, and roughly grasped Pasade's thinking on using troops. If he was afraid of dividing troops, he probably would not send troops to support when the periphery was attacked.

The Pakistani paratroopers have exchanged fire with the Indian troops on the entire front, but the scale is not large. He Fan's troops will go all the way south along the Ganges. The next target is Siana, a transportation hub 60 kilometers away from New Delhi. This satellite city has four roads and one railway, which can prevent all kinds of materials from Uttar Pradesh from entering New Delhi, but he has no troops to stay behind. After dawn, Pakistani troops will occupy this place for the second time. He has to do it, but only for a short time To destroy the city's railway, satellites have detected several trains parked at the railway station, including an oil tanker, which can be accomplished by destroying the train while it is moving.

It has been 3 hours since the departure, and He Fan has traveled about 45 kilometers. So far, there has been no exchange of fire, and no vehicle has broken down. However, exposure is inevitable. The three tank battalions and other troops behind him cannot sneak through the enemy's defense zone. There will inevitably be fierce fighting, and he expects that Pasad will learn within an hour that the Chinese army has crossed New Delhi from the latitude.

There was an explosion outside the command vehicle. This was the sound of the striker attacking the enemy train station that was caught off guard. It sounded like only one-sided firing, and there was no sound of enemy counterattack.He got out of the command vehicle and observed the direction of the train station with binoculars, and saw that the flames were soaring into the sky, apparently hitting the oil depot. The information collected by Pakistani spies showed that there were oil tankers parked on the main line, and there were only about 30 garrison troops at the station. True.

When the headquarters passed the railway station, they could see that several military trains parked on the double railway line were all burning, so that limited attacks could stop the enemy's transportation.

He noticed that one of the flatbed trucks was so long that it couldn't see the end. It was full of Humvee military vehicles that had been ignited by the fire. Some vehicles had been equipped with weapons. Obviously this was part of the US aid supplies. Pasade should be waiting These things are shipped to New Delhi, but he probably won't be able to wait.

On the last few flatbed cars of the train, three huge tanks were parked, also covered with tarpaulins. The fire had not yet spread here, so it was impossible to see what model they were.But He Fan can already see the signs from the approximate size of the cannon.He ordered the command car to come closer.Someone reminded the enemy's garrison that they were only being driven to the vicinity and that there might be cold shots at any time, but he turned a deaf ear to it and ordered the headquarters to stop and send someone to check it out.

Several soldiers got out from behind the infantry fighting vehicle, braved the scorching heat, climbed onto the cart, and cut off the binding rope with a dagger.A khaki M1A1 tank was completely exposed. Judging from the shield and horse head marks, these tanks originally belonged to the US First Cavalry Division.Apparently at least one platoon of Abrams tanks has arrived near New Delhi. It is definitely not what Lin Huaisheng judged. It is just an inflatable false target that the Indians put in the forest to deceive satellites. He is not sure whether there are similar tanks nearby. , but logically, if the army is to be mobilized, it is impossible for only one platoon to gather here.

He reminded the striker to be careful and continued on the road.However, even if the M1A1 appears on the battlefield, it is unlikely to be much stronger than other western tanks. As the training time of Indian armored forces is getting shorter and shorter, its tactical capabilities are bound to be lower and lower. This is hard to resist the law.

In the 2nd Army headquarters in the north of New Delhi, Pasad was sitting in a corner of his headquarters, contemplating the purpose of the enemy's attack, but his intelligence was always lagging behind, which really limited his judgment.After nightfall, the frontal attack has become a stalemate. The enemy has advanced an average of 3 to 6 kilometers on the entire front. It has paid a considerable price and its firepower has gradually weakened. If the war continues like this, he can accept it.

He knows that the enemy transports ammunition farther than himself, and the strength of US support is increasing. Once the current difficult period is overcome, India's advantages in military strength will gradually become apparent.The U.S. military has made an accurate judgment on the size of the China-Pakistan coalition forces, and judges that the total number will not exceed 18. If it exceeds this number, its logistical capabilities will be unable to make ends meet, and the supply of weapons and ammunition will give way to the consumption of personnel. This will not be conducive to launching an offense.

The American speculation always lists a lot of data, which seems so reasonable that people have to believe it, but they expect the Chinese army to attack at least one week later, otherwise the preparations will be very insufficient. The Chinese It is no longer possible to increase the transport capacity by seizing a few airports, and the upper limit of transport aircraft has become the main obstacle.

"What cards are they playing?" The suspicious Field Marshal inevitably began to ponder again. Frontier reports showed that there was no Chinese army involved in the attack, which made him very suspicious.

He can guess the enemy's various plans, but he can't determine which one it is. Will he really push it all the way to downtown New Delhi regardless of losses?That's a good thing for me, but I always feel that the enemy's plan is not so simple.

"Marshal, the helicopter of General Kate Augustan of the American Advisory Group has just landed." Someone woke up the marshal who was in deep thought.

"What? It's great that the Americans are here so soon."

Pasade sat up excitedly.

About 15 minutes later, General Ogudan in a fat camouflage uniform and several deputies passed through the huge Indian Army headquarters without anyone else, and walked straight to the marshal.

"I accepted the appointment of the president to come here specially, hoping to do something to save this war."

The Brigadier General saluted the Marshal.

"I am very glad that your country can help. In addition, I am also very glad that you have retained the surname of Kshatriya. I just heard that you are a second-generation Indian American. I think this will help both of us more easily. ...communication." Pasade made the opening remarks according to the prepared set of speeches, which was a bit flattering and contrived, but his gratitude to the American brigadier general was sincere and unpretentious.

"Marshal, talking about this is meaningless to defeat the enemy. Before my helicopter landed, I got the worst news. The enemy is conducting a sneak attack, and I see how ineffective your army is."

The American brigadier general criticized the Indian army, big and small, as if he was the savior.

"What bad news? We are carrying out resistance in an orderly manner. The enemy's attack today can be said to be futile."

"No, no, your command is completely blind and deaf. The Chinese army has crossed Siana 25 minutes ago and is currently developing into the deep zone."

"How is this possible? Siana behind my lines?"

"You were deceived by their feint, Marshal. Their real intention was to encircle New Delhi. It is not yet possible to verify that they have a corresponding right uppercut to the west, but believe me, there will be. This is a typical pincer attack."

Pasade stood there speechless, obviously the Americans would not make jokes.He stood in the supreme position of commanding nearly 100 million Indian troops, but he was unable to obtain the most timely information. In other words, the Chinese deliberately buried important information in various complicated illusions, and he had already foreseen this , but cannot be deciphered.

"But you are the one who told me that the Chinese will take action in a week at the earliest?"

"Yes, we didn't expect them to be so fast, but if they make any moves, we have the ability to find out immediately."

The Brigadier General quickly walked to the map and looked down for a moment.

"Their interspersed forces are currently in this area."

He directly made a gesture in the northwest of Siana with his hand.

"The enemy bypassed a large number of positions and left the battle to the follow-up troops. A large-scale exchange of fire will start within an hour, but the forward will try to avoid being involved in the battle. At present, they have seized the opportunity, so before dawn, we must try to stop it ,otherwise……"

"However, my troops lack combat capability at night."

"This is indeed a problem. But since they can sneak past your defense line, their forward strength will not be too large, maybe a battalion-sized battle group."

"What do you think should be done?"

Pasade was trying to figure it out, when someone came in and reported that the headquarters of the 23rd Division had been taken down an hour ago.

Due to the announcement of radio discipline, the underground communication cable was suddenly cut off, and the arrival of the news was greatly delayed, which allowed the enemy to seize the upper hand. As Brigadier General Augustan said, the response of the Indian command was extremely slow.

At this time, He Fan's troops rushed northward along the railway, and the rear was full of flames. His 2nd Battalion of tanks had already exchanged fire with the enemy, but the speed of the 1st Battalion did not slow down, keeping a distance of several kilometers, and followed closely.Soon the 3rd Battalion will hit the panicked enemy from the other side, and it is bound to tear a 5-kilometer-wide opening to ensure the passage of mechanized infantry and artillery. After dawn, the Pakistani 6th Armored Division will arrive. A tank swept across the enemy in this area, but it didn't stop.The other troops that followed will continue to expand to complete the siege of New Delhi until it is completely surrounded.

However, things have changed. He Fan has launched 6 drones in a row to search for areas along the railway where the enemy may be hidden. However, these low-altitude drones cannot monitor too large an area with infrared equipment. A large UAV that took off was just shot down by the S300 while passing through the enemy's air defense network, which caused him to lose a large part of his reconnaissance resources.

From a technical point of view, the US-made M1A1 tank is more suitable for sneak attacks at night, because this kind of tank with a gas turbine starts to move very little, and it is relatively difficult for the Type 99 tank to conceal itself. The best opportunity comes from the first enemy to discover .

(End of this chapter)