Military career: Starting with a recruitment letter

Chapter 232 Attacking the Supply Zone: Ground Group Deployment
Gao Jin is a staff officer in the military region's staff department. He is a proper "professional" graduate who emphasizes steady progress and would never overstep his bounds.

He genuinely couldn't accept Chen Mo's unorthodox fighting style.

But the words came back again.

If this raid goes smoothly, then at daybreak, the Blue Army Division's counterattack will be something that their single battalion cannot withstand.

No matter how powerful your firepower, how advanced your reconnaissance and radar technology, you can't withstand the wrath of a division commander.

He had to admit that this terrible strategy sometimes worked quite well.

Seeing that Battalion Commander Chen was engrossed in studying the map, Gao Jin grunted twice, sat down obediently to the side, and said nothing more.

The Blue Army battalion is en route to the eastern front.

Chen Mo didn't say much. He was studying the map and planning the retreat route, while also checking the fuel and ammunition storage with the logistics staff.

Let's see how long the entire battalion can remain mobile, and what scale of cluster attack the existing logistics and supplies can launch.

It was almost dawn, and they couldn't linger in the area where the Blue Army was heavily armed.

Run all the way.

High-intensity maneuvering often results in several tanks and infantry fighting vehicles breaking down in succession.

Chen Mo would simply give the order to leave the tanks on the road while the rest of the tanks continued their journey.

Anyway, nobody's going to steal this thing, we can just send someone over to repair it later.

The entire battalion rushed as fast as they could, and finally, around 4 a.m., when a sliver of light appeared in the east, they met up with Cheng Dong, Feng Guoqing, Wang Jianbin, and a few others.

The mobile force came to a halt.

After ordering the entire battalion to carry out battlefield maintenance, Chen Mo hurriedly got off the command vehicle.

He glanced around.

There were quite a few people who returned, more than two hundred in total. The fatigue on the faces of all the soldiers was very obvious, and the vast majority of the soldiers' faces and bodies were covered with yellow dust.

However, the group was in good spirits, gripping their rifles tightly as they lined up and looked at the Blue Army's tank formation.

Chen Mo searched around.

I didn't see Battalion Commander Zhou of the 139th Division's reconnaissance battalion, nor did I see Wang Jianyong, even though I had expected this outcome.

Chen Mo sighed again.

The Blue Army battalion was a hastily assembled joint battalion, and all officers were assigned specific roles. Officers from logistics, long-range rocket artillery, howitzer, anti-aircraft artillery, and armored units could not be assigned to lead teams independently.

After the battle, they hadn't suffered much loss on their side, but they had lost the enemy's battalion commander.

Surprisingly, Chen Mo felt a slight pang of guilt.

Of course, the main reason for this sense of guilt was that Cheng Dong and his group had taken the division's reconnaissance battalion out on a mission.

Now the soldiers have returned, but the battalion commander is missing, which is somewhat unfair.

"Comrades, you've worked hard. Quick, Liang, get some dry rations for the brothers. After we've eaten our fill, we still have a tough battle to fight."

"Let's all disband."

After waving his hand to arrange things, Chen Mo strode over to Cheng Dong, Wang Jianbin, and the others, and asked bluntly, "How are things? Can you still hold on?"

"My plan is to fight the Blue Army one more time before dawn, and then move to the Red Army artillery regiment's location."

"Remove the 'ma' from me, damn it, I'm not that precious." Cheng Dong patted his chest, a smile on his face.

Despite their long journey and a busy night, leaving them hungry, tired, and exhausted, they were still determined to fight.

Everyone perked up.

The initial battle plan was discussed between Chen Mo and the others, and now that they have reunited, there is no need for further explanation.

It seemed that the others didn't have any objections.

Chen Mo took out a map, spread it on the hood of the vehicle, picked up a pencil, and circled the current location and the location of the Red Army artillery regiment's garrison.

Then, draw a straight line within the eastern area.

"There should still be half an hour until dawn. You've been to the Blue Army camp on the eastern front."

"Let's discuss this. Where do you think would be a suitable target for our next mission?"

Looking at the area Chen Mo had drawn with a straight line, Cheng Dong shook his head. The place he had just led his team to was not within the range of the straight line at all.

Now, it's almost dawn, and they can't attack from afar. They can only fight a quick assault in the marked area.

Feng Guoqing craned his neck to look for a while, then shook his head, also unfamiliar with the area.

Only Wang Jianbin, the captain of the whistling arrow team, pondered for a while before pointing to an area on the map and saying, "Battalion Commander Chen, there are quite a few Blue Army units stationed in this area you drew."

"But there is one place that is absolutely worth fighting for."

Captain Wang wiped the yellow dust off his face and grinned, "This area is the fuel replenishment zone for several battalions of the Blue Army's eastern armored regiment."

"There are two tank companies and two mechanized infantry companies stationed nearby. I don't know any more details, but I estimate that there is at least an artillery company stationed here as well."

"Supply area?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo stared at the map in astonishment for several moments. After the Blue Army battalion evaded the attack of the H-6 bomber squadron, he moved towards the eastern front along the route closest to the Red Army artillery regiment.

At the same time, they are also contacting Cheng Dong and the others to meet up.

Unexpectedly, by sheer luck, they stumbled upon the supply depot of the Blue Army's armored regiment.

"Then attack here."

Chen Mo's eyes gleamed.

This is an unexpected bonus.

"Old Feng, go and notify all officers in the battalion to hold a meeting. Also, notify each detachment to speed up the field maintenance process."

"While it's still light, we need to give the Blue Army a loud reveille to get them energized."

"Yes!"

Feng Guoqing agreed and quickly left.

At this time, the battalion's field maintenance and preparation work was basically nearing completion.

Although the Blue Army Battalion is a joint battalion, its logistical support is provided by all the veteran non-commissioned officers in the entire military region.

In terms of logistical support, the command personnel basically don't need to worry about it.

Otherwise, with Liang Hongjie's limited skills, he simply couldn't manage the entire logistics department.

This is no joke.

After the entire battalion's tanks have been running for so long, field maintenance requires changing the engine oil and adding water to the radiators of all tanks to maintain their combat readiness.

There's a lot of work involved here.

In addition to changing the engine oil and adding water to the water tank, we also need to perform simple cleaning, wiping, inspection, adjustment, tightening and troubleshooting of various parts of the vehicle.

You also need to add lubricating oil and grease, replenish ammunition, tools, spare parts and accessories, and most importantly, charge the battery.

The Type 96 tank is robust and durable; ordinary rockets have almost zero destructive power against its composite armor.

However, without adequate logistics, it is impossible to conduct large-scale mechanized warfare with such a powerful weapon.

The sheer number of troops and reserves deployed on the battlefield in a decisive battle is terrifying.

The Blue Army battalion is relatively small.

Similar to the Battle of Kursk, a land-based armored battle involving thousands of vehicles, the combined logistical support forces deployed by the Hans and the Xiongnu for this battle exceeded tens of thousands.

On average, it takes a logistics team of 10 people to maintain one tank.

The next step is the decisive battle.

Chen Mo was well aware of the importance of the battalion's heavy equipment. Before the meeting, he made a point of walking around each unit to check on their work.

Until the logistics were almost completed.

Chen Mo arrived at the makeshift command tent, where all the officers of the battalion had already assembled.

I looked up at the sky; the darkest period before dawn had passed.

As dawn broke in the east, beams of sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the dusky yellow earth of Qinglong Gorge.

Daylight broke, and the wind subsided, becoming so weak that it was almost imperceptible.

Chen Mo walked over to the front of the queue.

With a serious expression, he said, "Comrades, let me explain."

"Everyone, keep your mission in mind. Next, we will launch a decisive battle against the Blue Army's supply depot."

"Since we're talking about the supply depot, you should understand how fierce the garrison's firepower is. We don't have much time, so we'll have to use a quick and decisive approach."

"Battalion Commander Liu!"

"Present!" "In a moment, gather all the tanks from the armored units together. You will be the leader of the ground assault group, leading the heavy armored group to launch a surprise attack on the Blue Army's camp."

"Rocket artillery team, with the specific coordinates provided by Xiangjian, adjust the firing parameters in advance, aim at the Blue Army's camp area, and upon hearing the order to fire, without test firing, empty all ammunition within twenty minutes."

"Howitzer team, follow the rear flank of the heavy armored forces and launch an attack. There is only one requirement: take over this supply area in the shortest possible time."

"Other groups will work together, sparing no effort, to win this battle."

"Is it clear?"

"clear!!"

The cadres who were lined up all straightened their chests.

Taking over this kind of encampment is different from taking over support troops. If you want to quickly capture this Blue Army supply depot, you can't just use long-range bombing.

Because military camps are generally equipped with air defense systems and tunnels to prevent air raids, even the most severe long-range bombing is just a drop in the ocean.

If the enemy takes cover in the trenches, the bombing will become meaningless.

What Chen Mo wanted was for this supply depot to completely disappear from the Blue Army's territory, not to make a lot of noise but then disappear after a brief and ineffective attack.

Everyone looked ready.

Chen Mo nodded: "All troops assemble, let's go!!"

"Yes!"

Accompanied by instructions.

The signal arrow began to announce the operational objective on the interconnected satellite positioning system of all vehicles, based on their coordinates.

Liu Hongyun then ordered the mobilization of all the battalion's heavy equipment.

A tank company is formed by three tank platoons and one infantry platoon.

A tank company is equipped with twelve tanks, four armored infantry fighting vehicles, and one battlefield recovery vehicle. Three tank companies form a reinforced tank battalion, equipped with one fuel truck, two ammunition trucks, and several tractors.

Because the Blue Army battalion subsequently applied for more tanks, aside from the tanks that were stuck on the way, the entire battalion's heavy equipment group had enough firepower for four tank companies.

It is carried out on a large scale, including engineering vehicles for repair, hoisting, communications, radar, and towing anti-aircraft guns.

More than half of the Blue Army's firepower has been concentrated.

Mobility, assault!!

Rumble!
The earth is trembling!
From the sky, an incredibly spectacular scene unfolds.

On the yellow sandy ground of Qinglong Gorge, a swarm of steel monsters advanced, with each tank company less than 500 meters apart. These monsters, weighing tens of tons, left tire tracks on the ground.

The yellow sand kicked up by the tracks, mixed with some black mud, forced puddles into the already dried-out ground.

Under full maneuvering.

The sound of a thousand-horsepower engine, mixed with the creaking and clanging of steel tracks as they moved forward, created a violent sonic boom that could be clearly heard several kilometers away.

Heavy equipment and linear propulsion.

Chen Mo, stationed at the rear, ordered the deployment of drones to get a clear view of the enemy's mobile formations, and immediately arranged for the army aviation brigade to be dispatched.

More than a dozen WZ-9 attack helicopters took off with a roar, providing low-altitude cover.

The armed helicopter skillfully maneuvered its left and right flanks, heading towards the enemy's supply depot.

When the heavy equipment was still ten kilometers away from the supply area.

Several heads emerged from the sand dunes on both sides of the road. The sentries sent by the Blue Army stared in shock at the heavy armored group that had suddenly appeared in the distance.

Before they could even react and use their individual radios to send a message to the rear, two hand-cranked drones flew overhead.

"Holy crap, what is this?"

The sentry looked up and saw a plane the size of an eagle circling overhead. Just as he was about to draw his gun and fire...

From the side, a single rocket launcher fired with a "boom," hitting the target from hundreds of meters away.

"puff!"

White smoke billowed from the sensor, the sentry was damaged, and he watched helplessly as more than a dozen small drones flew overhead.

They flew towards their own camp at an extremely high speed.

The sentry rubbed his eyes, his mouth agape in astonishment. He was completely fuming, still unable to figure out what had been staring at him.

In the era of mechanized warfare, the most difficult thing to do is to deal with the opponent's reconnaissance methods, especially intensive technical reconnaissance methods.

For 80% of the time, both sides were in constant contact with each other during large-scale troop movements, until the final confrontation and the completion of military strikes against each other.

But what was this thing? The Blue Army sentries really didn't understand it.

The heavily armed mobile force was five kilometers away from the supply depot.

Large drones only maneuvered on the periphery, while small drones entered the Blue Army's camp unimpeded.

The sentries on duty and patrolling suddenly discovered that dozens of small planes had appeared in their camp early in the morning.

Although many soldiers did not recognize this thing, its appearance on the battlefield at this moment, something that defies common sense, meant danger.

Some quick-reacting sentries' pupils dilated instantly, and after a few seconds of thought, they put the whistle in their mouths and blew it with all their might.

"Beep! Beep beep beep beep beep beep."

The desperate whistle blared, and the veteran on duty in the operations room immediately sounded the air raid siren.

Woo.
The camp was completely awakened, and countless soldiers rushed out of their tents to assemble, collect their weapons, and start their vehicles.

In the late 1990s, mechanized equipment basically lacked fire control linkage systems, and the vast majority of equipment required manual operation.

The accuracy of the shooting was truly impressive.

Moreover, these small drones fly too low for the radar on the artillery vehicle to detect.

After capturing the Blue Army's reaction and transmitting it back to the terminal at the rear, the drone continued to fly at low altitude, maneuvering towards the rear of the camp.

Once the specific coordinates of the supply depot are transmitted back, the rocket artillery group behind can adjust its firing parameters immediately and complete the first round of attack.

"Stop it! Quick, stop it!!!"

The Blue Army's position was in complete chaos. An officer who heard the commotion came over to inquire about the situation, but when he saw the drone overhead, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Bang bang bang.
Da da da.
The sentry on duty raised his gun and fired, but no matter how fast a person is, they can't keep up with the speed of the drone.

Countless soldiers in the camp began chasing the drone, some cursing and others throwing stones into the air.

Watching this comical scene.

Chen Mo showed no sign of a smile. He grabbed the communicator and said, "Ground assault team, make some noise."

"Reconnaissance team, provide coordinates. Howitzer crews, prepare to attack. No need for permission, open fire!"

"Roger that!"

The communicator then relayed a message.

The howitzer vehicle, which was originally following behind the heavy equipment, immediately stopped moving and adjusted to the reference gun position.

An officer, waving a command flag, shouted: "Target number one, enemy camp, grenade, instantaneous fuse, full charge, sight 279, left 0-03, all eight rounds rapid fire, fire!!"

Boom boom boom!
A salvo of artillery fire, mixed with the sounds of tanks firing, reached the Blue Army camp in an instant.

Experienced veterans, upon hearing the distant sound of artillery fire, immediately lay prone on the ground.

He tilted his head back and roared, "Enemy attack! Get down! Get down now!!"

Boom boom boom.
The distance was less than five kilometers; at this range, the howitzers wouldn't give the Blue Army any chance at all.

Countless shells rained down on the camp.

Many soldiers were declared combat dead before they even got to touch their guns, and countless tanks in the camp were destroyed.

"Ground assault team, full speed ahead!!"

"Long-range rocket artillery team, prepare!!"

With a cold face, Chen Mo looked at the miserable state of the Blue Army camp and gave the heavy armored units the order to operate at full speed.

The reason for doing this was that there were too many troops stationed in the supply area.

For a decisive battle to yield quick results, it is essential to force the Blue Army to deploy its heavy equipment, causing them to regroup and mount a counterattack.

Otherwise, once the artillery fires, the enemy will hide in the trenches, making it difficult to achieve any effect.

Heavy assault, let's see how you dodge!

Chen Mo is not usually a stingy person, but when it comes to fighting, he is as petty as a pinhole.

Is the Blue Division, which isn't a bomber formation, trying to eliminate itself?

That wonderful gift from that morning must be delivered to Commander Wang's dining table, no matter what.

(End of this chapter)