Chapter 1020 Landing in Suez (Third update, please subscribe)
Wars often break out in unexpected ways.
While the whole world was paying attention to the huge Anglo-French fleet in the Mediterranean, Port Said north of the Suez Canal, and the Sinai Peninsula, no one thought that the war would first start in the south of the Suez Canal. The city of Suez started.
Compared to the north, the Egyptian garrison in the south of the Suez Canal is limited. Its few small broken ships were destroyed in the early morning shelling. However, even so, the limited number of garrison , still resisting tenaciously.
The gunfire sounded all night long. While the destroyers were shelling the Port of Suez and the defenders, on the amphibious assault ship "Taiping", the 1st Marine Expeditionary Group was also preparing for an attack. Although Colonel Lin Shaokang, the captain of the brigade, also participated in the operation, he still saw off all the brothers personally. He was tall and thin, about forty years old. Like everyone else, he had a shaved head, wore desert camouflage, and had half an unlit cigar dangling from the corner of his mouth. He walked from one helicopter to another, pausing in front of each brother.
"Be careful."
He said slowly with a Shaanxi accent.
Then he walked towards the next person.
"Be sure to pay attention to safety."
The next one checked his combat vest again, and after confirming that there was no problem with the ceramic bulletproof inserts, he warned again.
"Be careful."
The non-stop running engine of the helicopter shook the deck of the amphibious assault ship "Taiping" and even trembled there, making people's blood rush. For Zhao Maotou and his comrades, they are all proud to be a part of showing off Nanyang's military strength. This is indeed exciting.
Looking at the city shrouded in artillery fire, they even felt an inexplicable sadness for the enemies who were using their arms as a chariot.
“Check weapons, three spare ammunition!”
At the reminder of the officers, they prepared their guns and ammunition, holding their weapons tightly, with their violently beating hearts under the bulletproof vests .
Before landing, they secretly checked their weapons one last time, the religious people repeated prayers, and finally held a brief departure ceremony... All of this was in preparation for the upcoming battle.
Everyone knows that this trip is full of dangers. After all, this is a battle in a foreign land.
The soldiers watched with their own eyes as rockets were loaded onto the "Z-1"s before they were about to board the plane. All carried as many weapons as they could find: every pocket of their tactical vests was stuffed with ammunition and grenades, and canteens and bayonets. The coming battle didn't bother them too much.
As Marines, they are predators in the jungle, with iron will, unstoppable and invincible. What they felt at this moment was that they could finally teach those Egyptians a lesson.
"Boarding, boarding..."
Finally, everyone boarded the helicopter. The aircraft was a Sikorsky S-58 helicopter, which is currently the most advanced transport helicopter in the world. Each aircraft can transport 16 to 18 soldiers.
The troops set out. The plane shot straight from the sea into the sky, and immediately merged into the Gulf of Suez and the blue sky. They passed silently over a row of white sandy beaches. When flying low, they could even clearly see the rushing waves crashing against the coast, stirring up rows of parallel wave crests. The planes lined up in a tight formation and began to turn inward, passing the coastline and heading straight to the northwest.
The high-spirited commandos were sitting on both sides of the cabin, with their legs hanging out of the cabin, swinging in the air. The helicopter formation first passed over the coast and then touched the land. Soon , they landed about 2 kilometers away from the coast, and then they immediately built fortifications on the spot. Their mission was to seize and consolidate the beachhead. At the same time, behind them, the tank landing ship began to seize the beach. As the landing ships sailed onto the beach, the clam-shaped hatches opened, and the Third Armored Brigade carried on the ships began to land.
When the troops landed, the Z1 reconnaissance attack helicopter had been hovering in the sky, ready to greet possible enemies with 70mm rockets and anti-tank missiles. At this time, at 3:17 in the morning, the sky was getting slightly brighter, and there was no resistance during the landing. In other words, the Egyptians did not realize that the landing would be carried out in the desert area 30 kilometers south of the city of Suez.
Qian Shangqin, commander of the 3rd Armored Brigade, led the 6th Armored Company in Bastogne, tearing apart the German encirclement and being the first to meet up with the Allied 4th Armored Company.
This battle was the first large-scale land battle since the Battle of Borneo. Naturally, he seemed very cautious. When the troops landed, he and his staff gathered around the map on the beach. Arrangements were made for the next battle.
“There are three main roads in Suez. From the north of the city is an asphalt road leading to Ismailia; Highway 33 goes northwest out of the city and then curves towards Cairo; another road leads to Adabia. Salaq Road is the main road through the city, 75 to 200 meters wide, and the focus of our attack. This road starts from the port, cuts it in half, and then joins the road to Cairo. Highway 33..."
Listening to Chief of Staff Zhao Changjie’s introduction, Qian Shangqin asked again.
“What about the city wall?”
Suez is a thousand-year-old city with thick walls.
“All of these roads pass through several gates on the old city wall. There are also other roads that allow troops to enter the city, but these roads also need to pass through gates outside the city and not all gates are accessible to traffic. "
Nodding, he stared at the map and said nothing. Zhao Changjie continued to introduce.
“There is an industrial area in the south of the city to the southwest, Port Ibrahim to the southeast, at the end of a 1.5-kilometer-long causeway, extending south and southwest into the bay. There are several more in the west of the city. There is a large oil refinery. The eastern part of the city and both sides of the Suez Canal are surrounded by dense vegetation. This layer of vegetation hinders observation and vehicle movement."
"We are on the west bank, and this is a desert terrain. No nonsense. I have to say more, just one sentence, capture the city of Suez, and then go all the way north to meet with the Allies. As for the Egyptians..."
After a pause, Qian Shangqin raised the corners of his mouth and sneered.
“Just send them to see Pearl!”
After that, Qian Shangqin set his sights on the beach again.
"How many of our tanks have come up?"
On the beach, landing ships are like giant beasts with their mouths open, and tanks and soldiers are flowing in a steady stream. Landing on the land, the diesel engines of the VT-1 main battle tanks roared and puffed out bursts of smoke, driving past the beach and onto the land. The tanks painted in desert camouflage looked particularly majestic.
In the morning light, the huge roar of the tank merged with the billowing smoke, and the main battle tank drove onto the land amidst people's cheers. There were heroic soldiers standing near the tank. The soldiers crowded on both sides of the tank as the tank moved forward.
"This kind of terrain is the most suitable terrain for tanks..."
Looking at this desolate, endless seaside desert, Qian Shangqin said to himself, he The corners of his mouth were raised slightly, and his eyes were full of desire, eager to win his merits on this battlefield...
(End of this chapter)