It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 223 | Damn it!

"...The fate of our nation is decided by this battle. Glory belongs to Ivanros. God bless you, brave warriors."

Without many grand and inspiring words, the pre-departure instructions for the Ivan Ross airborne troops were concise.

As dawn broke, the soldiers' bodies were bulging with supplies—their reserve and main parachute packs.

In addition, they also had canvas bags tied to their right thighs, containing semi-automatic rifles or submachine guns.

This is the latest improved equipment, called 'leg pouches', an idea that was adopted by the embassy's military attaché during his visit to the United Kingdom's airborne forces.

In past airborne operations, Imperial Russian paratroopers found that traditional airdropped weapon crates were not very practical for actual combat. The separation of personnel and weapons meant that paratroopers had to rush to find the weapon crates after landing, and if they couldn't find them, they would be in an awkward situation, having to fight with only the pistols at their waists, which was too unpredictable.

Therefore, the Imperial Russian paratroopers immediately learned their lesson and began to conduct combined airdrops of personnel and weapons.

dawn.

As the first rays of sunlight illuminated the earth, hundreds of bombers and their towed gliders took off in formation and surged westward in a mighty procession.

As they flew over the edge of the Ardennes Forest, the battle on the ground had already begun. The soldiers could see tracer rounds and explosions flying back and forth below through the portholes.

A few minutes later, Mariana's army finally noticed the swarms of transport planes in the sky.

The air raid sirens blared piercingly, and dense anti-aircraft fire came from below. Soon, plumes of smoke and explosions erupted around the aircraft.

In one of the swaying transport planes, the tall and imposing Lieutenant Rebedev addressed the soldiers:
"The Mariana people did not anticipate our surprise attack. We will definitely be able to land safely and then regroup as quickly as possible."

"Defeat the Marianaians swiftly before they can react, and don't waste any time, even if your comrades are injured."

"Don't count on follow-up troops. Our fighter jets can't beat them. We don't have air superiority. The second wave of reinforcements may never arrive!"

At this moment, the yellow indicator light in the cabin lit up.

"Thirty seconds!"

"Hang up the hook!"

"Are you ready?!"

The faces of both men and women wore the same expression—seven parts excitement and three parts nervousness.

A shout of "Hurrah!" echoed through the cabin. The cabin door was pulled open, a green indicator light came on, and the lead paratrooper jumped out without hesitation!

The soldiers filed out, with Lieutenant Rebedev being the last to jump out of the cockpit. Instead of attaching the parachute hook, he prepared to open the parachute manually.

The anti-aircraft fire was terrifyingly fierce, with countless tracer rounds forming a dense net of fire.

Nearby, a burning transport plane plummeted downwards, leaving behind a trail of flames. Large amounts of metal debris were scattered, and people could even be seen flying out like rag dolls.

At that moment, Lieutenant Lebedev saw the parachutes blooming below, but one figure's main parachute was not opening. The person then hurriedly opened the reserve parachute, but it became tangled and could not be opened properly.

Lieutenant Rebekov hesitated for half a second, then brought his arms and legs together to reduce air resistance and accelerate his descent towards the figure!

Upon approaching, the lieutenant grabbed her and opened the main parachute. It turned out that the unfortunate woman whose main and reserve parachutes had both failed was Warrant Officer Ryabova.

She was clearly still in shock, stammering, "God... thank... thank you... Lieutenant... I..."

The lieutenant, both speechless and furious, rebuked him: "Why did you entrust your fate to someone else?!"

The two eventually shared a parachute and landed safely.

Lieutenant Rebedev and Warrant Officer Ryabova were from the 4th Battalion of the 201st Guards Airborne Infantry Brigade, and belonged to the E Assault Detachment, the first echelon in the operational plan.

After landing, the 4th Battalion quickly assembled, with telepathic communication playing a crucial role. The 4th Battalion completed its initial assembly in just over ten minutes and then launched an attack on the nearby Marianna artillery position without stopping.

A frontal assault, with simultaneous flanking maneuvers, and mortar teams deploying from nearby suitable positions!
The Imperial Russian paratroopers unleashed their full firepower, and the continuous barrage of mortar shells left the Mariana artillerymen disoriented.

However, dealing with semi-permanent fortifications is not that simple.
Multiple heavy machine guns formed a crossfire, and there were barbed wire and minefields near the position. Every step forward for the Imperial Russian paratroopers came at a bloody price!
Lieutenant Rebekov led a reinforced platoon to move to the left flank in an attempt to launch a flanking attack.

Under the cover of smoke grenades, the Imperial Russian paratroopers fought tenaciously, making the most of every available undulation in the terrain, advancing meter by meter in this alternating manner.

The first few paratroopers threw out demolition charges, and after a violent explosion, they 'almost' cleared two paths through the minefield.

Lieutenant Rebedev asked loudly, "Has the landmines been cleared there?"

A corporal retorted with a lame joke: "There will definitely be fewer (landmines) than in unexploded areas!"

The Imperial Russian paratroopers launched an assault in small combat groups, and while forcibly crossing the minefield, many still stepped on mines, resulting in seven or eight deaths and injuries.

Covered in mud and blood, the Imperial Russian paratroopers broke through numerous obstacles, and when they stormed into the artillery positions, Marianne's artillery nightmare began.

A private first class rolled away to dodge the fire of several artillerymen, then tucked his Popod submachine gun into his waistband and opened fire, taking down the men in front of him in the blink of an eye.

More paratroopers stormed into the artillery positions, firing indiscriminately with submachine guns. Marianna's artillerymen, who were firing from the corner of the trench, were also blown to pieces by grenades!
Lieutenant Rebedev led five or six men, including Riabova, around the trenches. Riabova whispered that there were many enemies there.

One of the sergeants put down his semi-automatic rifle, grabbed a grenade in each hand, and threw them one after another.

After two loud bangs, a female warrant officer nearby immediately rushed forward and opened fire.

Seeing the remaining two or three men drop their pistols and surrender with their hands raised, she shook her head, smiled coldly, and pulled the trigger, saying mockingly, "You can't just surrender when you're about to lose!"

Before long, faced with the ferocious Imperial Russian paratroopers, this artillery position lost its organized resistance, and more than a dozen large-caliber cannons became fish on a chopping board...

At this very moment, fierce fighting is taking place in six or seven locations along a stretch of more than ten kilometers.

Major Vorontsov commanded the 2nd Battalion to attack Field Airfield No. 6, but the attack was met with fierce resistance from the defenders of Marianna Airfield and progress was slow.

Captain Denishenko took over command from the fallen major and led the 1st Battalion to attack an artillery position, successfully destroying more than twenty 105mm cannons and 155mm howitzers.

The 2nd Battalion of the 202nd Guards Airborne Brigade landed too far apart and was picked off piecemeal by Mariana's forces, resulting in its complete annihilation. Major Levashov led the 3rd Battalion to repel the enemy's encirclement and annihilation, but they were also trapped in place and could only hold their ground.

From dawn until midday, the battle raged fiercely across the board.

(End of this chapter)