Thunder Strikes Back

Chapter 555

He Fan's more than [-] tanks wiped out the last resistance, and galloped beyond the first line of defense around Leh without encountering any counterattack.Obviously a lightning-fast attack had to be launched to get the enemy's attention.

At this time, the enemy's mobile anti-aircraft firepower was maneuvering outside Leh. The tanks were coming so fast that they couldn't find them at all, and they were still performing mobile air defense operations.

He Fan was 1.5 kilometers away and first saw these vehicles clearly through the heavy snow. When they fired tracer bombs into the air, they emitted huge flames, easily exposing themselves for a long time.

Chinese tanks did not dare to get too close. Leh was surrounded by mountains on three sides, only the east side was relatively open. The main firepower of the enemy must be concentrated in this direction.It is known that there are still many concealed fortifications hidden in the defense line behind the enemy that cannot be found through aerial reconnaissance, among which cannons of various types from 76 to 140 mm may be deployed.Although most of these weapons are behind the times, they still pose a threat to light tanks that underestimate the enemy.And emptying the weapon itself could pose a serious threat to the tank.

He Fan ordered to snipe at those expensive anti-aircraft weapons at a distance as far as possible. He was confident that at a long distance, tanks would have an advantage in sighting and aiming. He was confident in his well-trained troops.

Several Tunguska anti-aircraft combat vehicles of the 1174th Leh Air Defense Squadron were running back and forth in the heavy snow to avoid possible air strikes.After the heavy snow fell, the strikes launched by the Chinese Air Force's combat aircraft and low-altitude drones seemed to be over, but the threat had not yet been contacted.At least on the display of the search radar, a large area of ​​light spots of suspected targets jumps irregularly, and the illumination radar that rotates around the turret cannot track any accurate targets. Obviously this is part of the Chinese electronic interference, but it is difficult to guarantee that China The army would not, unexpectedly, hide in the clutter, pass through Leh and drop bombs.

In fact, the radar can indeed detect the clouds. Through seeing Chinese high-altitude drones appearing from time to time at an altitude of [-] meters above the artillery, the Chinese people's eyeliner has never left here.Due to lack of training and combat experience, Indian commanders ordered short bursts of fire on any unresolved targets briefly seen by radar, while trying to track them with optical sights.Of course, he also knows that most of the false targets come from an electronic warfare aircraft outside the area, but he has also heard about the Chinese people's false and real style of play, so how dare they neglect it.

Every time Tunguska stopped to shoot, He Fan, who was staring at the tiger in the distance, could see a gleaming silhouette from the heavy snow.After the target stops firing, it will continue to move, which makes it difficult for He Fan to grasp the number for a while. It seems that there are two groups separated by 1 kilometer.Its tracked chassis is free to come and go in the snow, and it looks quite sophisticated on the surface.Of course, the enemy did not fully grasp their situation, they kept maneuvering to avoid air strikes that did not exist.

He Fan knew that there was indeed an unarmed drone observing at 15000 meters in the sky, but such a climate did not pose much threat.

"We can't get too close, there may be minefields in the east. Can we fire now? I demand a destruction."

He turned the periscope, and could barely see the target under the maximum magnification, but it was not clear.

"If it is closer to 300 meters, there is no big problem. It is too reluctant now." The gunner said.

He Fan lowered his head to check the range of the enemy's minefield from the multi-function display. This range is not accurate. It is a combination of the uninterrupted surveillance of drones in the past two months and the approximate range of previous satellite reconnaissance. The real minefield It can't be that big.

Before the war, occasionally a local yak stepped on a landmine, and the local garrison would mark the minefield with barbed wire and wooden signs for a short time.This gave Chinese satellites the opportunity to observe and record in secret.Judging from the information collected in the past many years, the Indians planted here mainly infantry anti-personnel landmines. It seems that no tanks were expected to visit.

"1 company, 1 row, 300 meters forward at low speed. 2 rows, cover to the designated position in the north, follow up 150 meters."

The 1 company's 7 tanks were slowly dispersed in two ways, and no landmines were found during the advance. Most of the 1 company had participated in the Assam battle, and they were the most powerful force in He Fan's hands. The company commanders of the two companies are also veterans who participated in the previous battle.He hoped to eliminate the enemy's anti-aircraft firepower with a salvo, so naturally he had to use the most capable people.

After a few dull shooting sounds, you can clearly see how several enemy tanks burst into flames after being shot.After being shot, the anti-aircraft weapon usually does not explode like a tank, but it will crackle and detonate for a long time. He Fan and most of the 1st company have already seen this situation.Sure enough, with the random explosion of machine cannon ammunition, the burning wreckage began to launch missiles aimlessly. Those missiles without target guidance flew randomly in the air, and some even fell in the core position of Leh City , Some flew to the surrounding mountains, and the entire Leh defense line knew for a while that the enemy began to knock on the door.

The first company attacked the enemy's position from the side along the edge of the minefield. The 12 tanks dispersed and exchanged information through the inter-vehicle data link and voice calls. They began to contact the enemy's peripheral firepower, but they were not too close.

The outer defense of Leh is composed of scattered bunker groups and ditches extending in all directions. The top of the bunkers is usually formed by a thick concrete top to form an air defense barrier. These bunkers have narrow and long shooting holes in the horizontal direction, and the outer walls are made of thick reinforced concrete. There is usually a defensive belt made of sandbags outside the bunker, which is enough to resist general direct-firing weapons and anti-tank missiles.Every bunker was equipped with at least a machine gun, and some large bunkers contained medium-caliber artillery.

According to some intelligence sources, as early as 1987, the Indian army pulled two Soviet-made 2mm cannons down on this mountain fortress to resist possible battles. Later, they stayed here because they could not be pulled back.Aerial reconnaissance did not confirm the above statement, but some 180mm artillery was found, and the effect of air strikes has been unknown.

Fortress tactics were the core of Pasade's early military theory, and the bunkers here bear the obvious imprint of the times. Usually, these fortresses have a good range of fire and are superior in anti-air attack and anti-curved firepower. However, due to the large shooting holes , are also easily destroyed by precision ground fire.Of course, when this fortress was designed, the Chinese firepower that could be expected was at most anti-tank missiles and recoilless guns.

Pasade stood in front of a row of monitors at the headquarters and confirmed that the enemy tanks were approaching. Through the cameras installed in some fortresses, he could see the flames of the enemy tanks when they fired. It seemed that the enemy tanks might restart at any time. Enter Leh.

The atmosphere at the headquarters is a little different. The general knows that the troops here are mainly from the artillery brigade directly under the 8th Mountain Division. Their long-term mission is not to deal with tanks, but the fort here has been built for decades. It is impenetrable, even if the enemy air force repeatedly attacked for 2 months, it did not hurt.

"Hehe, a very clever assault," the general said loudly, deliberately attracting the attention of the rest of the headquarters, "However, this fortress is not so easy to break through, just a few tank companies, charge one or two It's gone once."

The officers looked at each other in blank dismay, not knowing whether it was true or just talk.

"Leh has always been a model for our fortress construction, just to try the enemy's fortification." The general said confidently, his self-confidence somewhat helped, and the expression of the Indian officer gradually calmed down.Some people even started to get eager to try.

"Report, the enemy's attack firepower is very scattered, they are not too close. Our side has not suffered any losses for the time being."

"The Chinese commander is taking a risk. As long as he makes a slight mistake and falls within our fire range, he will be finished."

"The enemy is still moving north for the time being."

"I think they just want to hit a rock with an egg?"

The only regret for the general is that several underground passages were blown up, so the mobilization of anti-tank missile troops can only pass through the ground. This is an extremely dangerous move, and it is not known whether their drones can monitor this mobilization.

The heavy snow affected the observation ability of both sides, but the optical equipment on the tank was much ahead of the equipment in the bunkers and trenches, so the 1st company could launch an attack from a longer distance, and the enemy happened to be less visible clear. .

In fact, the commander's door can't see the shooting hole of the bunker clearly through the surrounding mirror, but it only needs to see the outline of the bunker to judge the approximate position of the shooting hole. Shooting once or twice at most can kill the infantry's anti-personnel bullets. Send it in, into the shooting hole of the huge outer splayed.

The three platoons each completed 2 set shots, and it was confirmed that they destroyed the 4 outer bunkers. Those bunkers were filled with black smoke, obviously burning from inside, and some shots could not confirm the effect.The enemy's counterattack was very chaotic. Their mortars landed not far from the tanks, blooming in all directions, indicating that the artillery's observation and communication were still effective; but the direct fire was very biased. A handful of fires were fired from the rear positions, but most of the time, due to the ability to observe, they did not fire.The firepower configuration of the fortress looks well-structured and even, as if it came from the hands of an old-fashioned and conservative soldier.

He Fan marked and measured the distances of the enemy strongholds that opened fire through the surrounding mirror.He uploaded the newly drawn electronic map through satellite communication, which marked the positions of these newly discovered enemy firepower points, which were not on the previous map.

Most of the newly discovered firepower points are well concealed, with soil layers or even vegetation on the top. When they are not firing, it is difficult to find them from the air.Now after all this turmoil and probing, these rashly counterattacked enemies have exposed themselves. If they knew that the Chinese tanks they were facing had strong information gathering capabilities, they should have been more careful.

Due to the current weather conditions, the higher-ups cannot mobilize the air force for precise strikes according to He Fan's opinion, but the long-range rocket launchers on the border of Aksai Chin are not affected by the weather and can fire at any time; judging from the intermittent targets marked by He Fan, these The fortifications constitute a dense system, denser than those seen by drones, and are more suitable for a fire coverage.

The superiors quickly agreed to launch this attack, but in the blink of an eye a new modification request was made.The superiors decided to conduct an electromagnetic pulse attack before the long-range rocket attack, as a practical investigation of similar underground and fortified large-scale fortresses.The superior asked He Fan's troops to conduct an observation at an effective distance, and at the same time, be prepared to protect against electromagnetic pulse damage.

He Fan didn't take such superfluous attacks seriously. Although the tank has an all-metal shell, it can theoretically protect the electronic equipment inside under the attack of electromagnetic pulses, but in fact, the pervasive microwave pulses can still drill through all millimeter-level gaps. Come in and destroy the device.If his troops retreated far enough, it would deviate from the superior's request for closer observation.He Fan hopes to implement long-range suppression immediately after the fire reconnaissance, and then reconnaissance, but the superior wants to add something that is out of actual combat experience.

Since Lin Huaisheng exploded an electromagnetic pulse weapon in Assam to stop the nuclear bomb in Lausanne, Western countries could not criticize China's first record use of this weapon on a moral level, and they all pretended to be deaf and dumb; the upper echelons regarded this as political A major breakthrough in military affairs, and the military significance of this weapon (compared to the loss of Lin Huaisheng's troops) was also intuitively recognized.Now that the line has been crossed, there seems to be no need to continue to retreat and pretend that there is no such weapon.Most generals believe that the use of electromagnetic pulse weapons is an excellent means of reducing casualties in the face of a large number of fortified fortifications throughout Kashmir.

He Fan was forced to order his troops to withdraw from the battle and retreat to the north. The enemy's extended firepower lost sight and soon lost its accuracy.After retreating to the gentle slope of the northern mountain, He Fan ordered all the crews to prepare for electromagnetic protection on the spot.The gaps on the tank and the antennas connected to the inside must be partitioned and separated, including parallel machine guns and artillery muzzles, and metal baffles on various observation equipment must also be added. The whole set of operations is somewhat similar to diving. The preparatory work beforehand is just a little easier.

He looked at his watch and saw that the time for the attack was very close, so he took the staff of the battalion headquarters, walked up the high slope from the car, and observed the situation of the attack on Leh with a telescope, so that he could report to his superiors the situation of the Indian army after the attack. Performance.

Seeing a cruise missile flying from the east mountain pass from a distance, the Indian ground artillery fire responded quickly, and a series of firepower exploded in the air, and quickly shot down the missile. The troops are preparing to resist the next tank attack, and the new mobile air firepower also rushed from the direction of the airport to supplement the gap in prevention and control.

"The first one is finished. The enemy's air fire is still very strong."

"I don't know what the effect will be?" said the instructor.

"Chief of Staff Lin played with this thing in Assam. At that time, the self-destructing equipment was enough for ordinary officers to go to court-martial. But the superiors are always very tolerant of him."

He Fan shook his head and said, he did not carry any communication equipment with the headquarters, and the headquarters would have no way of knowing the damage to the missiles. However, according to common sense analysis, there should not be only one missile in this round of attack.

(End of this chapter)