Chapter 116, Bloody Valentine’s Day during the Third World War (Part 1)
February 14, 1947, is Valentine’s Day on the Gregorian calendar.
However, under the cruel background of the outbreak of the Third World War and the collective participation of all mankind in the war and the absence of any neutral country, even this festival that should be filled with chocolates, roses, gorgeous fireworks and romantic love has also been stained. A layer of creepy blood...
——On this bloody Valentine’s Day, the United States launched a strategic nuclear counterattack against the Soviet Union. Except for the Middle East, which is too long a voyage from the United States, warships carrying atomic bombs are still floating on the sea and have not yet arrived at the front line in the Persian Gulf. Airport, unable to move at the same time. The U.S. strategic bomber groups in Iceland and Alaska are ready to attack on time with atomic bombs, heading east and west, heading straight for the Soviet Union!
The first one dispatched was the Alaskan route. At noon on February 14th on the Kamchatka Peninsula, 225 B-29 "Super Flying Fortress" strategic long-range bombers flew from the south of Alaska to the Netherlands, the capital of the Aleutian Islands. Departing from the U.S. Air Force Base in Hong Kong, carrying four atomic bombs and a large number of incendiary bombs and high-explosive bombs, they flew westward across the Bering Sea, crossed the International Date Line, and launched a surprise attack on the Far East of the Soviet Union!
As the capital of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the port of Petropavlovsk is naturally the first to bear the brunt. In Northeast Asia, which is sparsely populated and covered with hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of uninhabited land, even a superpower like the Soviet Union cannot deploy its air defense system to be airtight. It is even more impossible to deploy too many anti-aircraft artillery and aviation forces in a place like Kamchatka, which is far away from the war in Europe and is covered by ice for most of the year - the logistics capabilities cannot keep up.
Therefore, even though the early warning radar on the seaside hills and the reconnaissance satellite on the Doraemon plane had sent warnings half an hour in advance, the Soviet fighter jets at Petropavlovsk Port were able to take off in time to meet the enemy. There are still very few of them - considering that the aircraft deployed in Kamchatka are all outdated and second-rate, the pilots are third-rate rookies, and the laziness that long-term peace inevitably brings, it would be good to have fighter jets taking off to attack them. Against the menacing, powerful, and durable U.S. B-29 "Super Fortress" strategic bomber, this resistance is of no avail.
So, in the blank eyes of the Soviets on the ground, a thick, black and hard atomic bomb was dropped from the belly of the plane, and then exploded in the air!
The next moment, the atomic bomb exploded at a height of 200 meters above the ground, forming a large fireball with a diameter of more than 30 meters. People on the ground only felt unprecedented dazzling white light, scorching temperatures comparable to the surface of the sun, and shock waves greater than those of a super hurricane. Immediately it swept through the small urban area of Petropavlovsk, razing the entire Petropavlovsk port to the ground and burning it into a sea of fire...
Although the high heat generated by the detonation of the atomic bomb lasts only a fraction of a second, its temperature is as high as almost 300,000 degrees Celsius! The granite within a radius of 300 meters from the blast center instantly melts. The roof tiles further away also softened, turning into black or brown sticky objects, like heated asphalt. All those who were close to the core of the explosion were burned to ashes in that instant, and those who were a little further away were also burned to coke, or burned into blindness... Further away, some people were not in the nuclear explosion. They died immediately in the flash of the explosion, but when they regained consciousness, they found that the surrounding buildings had disappeared, leaving only endless rubble. The clothes on their bodies were burned to pieces, and even their skins were separated from their bodies, and they were just hanging precariously, which was horrifying.
——Outside the absolute death zone that left no life near the center of the explosion, houses collapsed with bricks and beams flying, like a dollhouse that had been kicked hard. Within five kilometers of the center of the blast, most houses were flattened, as if they were made of cardboard. Those in the house died instantly, or by some miracle survived, but were also surrounded by flames and smoke. Even among the few who struggle to break through the sea of fire and reach a safe place, more than half will die within twenty days due to severe radiation damage.
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What happened? How did he end up in this embarrassing situation?
Second Lieutenant Reznov, who served as the guard of the prisoner of war camp at Petropavlovsk Port, covered his bleeding forehead and struggled to get out of a pile of falling snow that almost buried him alive... In fact, until now So far, he still hasn't figured out what happened just now.
——Just as he was sent to the Kamchatka Peninsula on the eve of the Soviet-German War and missed the entire World War II. This time when a group of American bombers bombed Petropavlovsk Port, he happened to take time off to dig ice in the wild for fishing, so he escaped.
In this day and age, it is natural that there is no such thing as a mobile phone, and Second Lieutenant Reznov, who took a leave of absence alone, could not carry a heavy individual radio while chipping away at the ice and fishing... As a result, when it was sharp enough to shock As the eardrum-breaking air raid sirens echoed in the streets of Petropavlovsk Port, Second Lieutenant Reznov, standing on the bank of a frozen river more than ten kilometers away, still knew nothing about this sudden change. Know.
As a result, it was not until the roar of aircraft engines came in the sky and the thump of anti-aircraft guns on the ground in the distance that Lieutenant Reznov vaguely felt that something was wrong and hurriedly packed up his things from the river. I was about to return to the team. Unexpectedly, I had just climbed up a small snow-covered mound on the river bank when I was hit by a violent vibration and fell down. Then I was almost buried alive by the falling snow... …
Fortunately, the snow covering Lieutenant Reznov was not too thick, and he did not faint immediately, but struggled to crawl out. Although his brain was somewhat confused by the shock, he was still unable to think rationally. thinking, but he could at least confirm that something bad must have happened!
Could it be that the top of the mountain was hit by a bomb from an enemy plane, which triggered an avalanche, so that he rolled down to the bottom of the slope and was almost buried in the snow?
But this place is still far away from the city and the military camp. I didn't see any planes overhead just now!
While he was thinking this in a hazy way, he picked up a branch and used it as a crutch, limping towards the top of the slope, and then he saw a shocking scene: a bright mushroom cloud that penetrated the sky and the earth, and was coming from Peter. The direction of the port of Lopavlovsk is rising!
The scene under the mushroom cloud was reminiscent of a pot of boiling asphalt, and he could not think of a more appropriate metaphor to describe it. The city and the port were no longer visible, reduced to a billowing black haze, laden with a layer of steam that had evaporated from the snow.
Suddenly, Lieutenant Reznov sat down in the snow with a "clack", and there was only one thought left in his mind: War... has finally arrived!
Moreover, from the very beginning it appeared in the most terrifying form of a nuclear explosion!
Then, he couldn't help crying: "...Tell me...this is not true...God...this is not true..."
In the strong wind carrying snowflakes and radiation dust, Second Lieutenant Reznov's eyes were filled with tears, and he staggered step by step towards the mushroom cloud that had not yet dissipated. He trudged towards the city that had been reduced to ruins, wanting to see it with his own eyes. Prisoner of war camps and conditions in the city today.
Although he knew that the further he went, the more dangerous it would be, but the obsession in his heart still urged him to get back there as soon as possible
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An unknown amount of time passed, until it got dark, before Second Lieutenant Reznov stumbled back to the prisoner of war camp where he served.
Although the days are short and the nights are long in the Kamchatka Peninsula in winter, and darkness comes early, Second Lieutenant Reznov does not have to worry about lighting problems when walking at night. Because the explosion of the atomic bomb not only destroyed the urban area of Petropavlovsk, the accompanying high temperature heat wave also ignited the nearby forest, causing a terrible forest fire, which reflected the night sky red, and then the firelight was reflected in the On the snow, it was as bright as day for a while...
Fortunately, because it is still some distance from the city and a little far away from the center of the US atomic bomb, the prisoner of war camp outside Petropavlovsk was not directly burned to ashes by the optical radiation of the nuclear explosion. . However, the weak wooden houses in the prisoner-of-war camp were still blown down by the shock wave caused by the nuclear explosion, and the wooden fences and barbed wire fences outside the prisoner-of-war camp were turned into a pile of messy garbage. There are also a lot of black radiation dust and ash, floating down from the air and falling on the white snow, looking particularly eye-catching.
At this moment, among the rolling fire and thick smoke, one could vaguely see the ruins of the prisoner of war camp, with many corpses scattered in various directions - because it was still far away from the center of the explosion, there were basically no people who were directly burned to death by the flash of the nuclear explosion. He was killed by collapsing houses and walls.
There were more people who were lucky enough to survive, wandering among the ruins and in the snow with blank and sluggish expressions. After half a day passed, many surviving Petropavlovsk citizens had begun to leave. He emerged from the rubble in the urban area and fled aimlessly towards the suburbs. A large part of them followed the road and slowly came to the vicinity of the prisoner of war camp. In the dim light of the fire, you can see that many people's hair has been burned off, their skin has been burned to black, their clothes have been burned into rags, and their bodies are covered with shocking blood, but they are still in the cold at more than ten degrees below zero. In the wind and snow, he wandered around like a sleepwalker until he fell to the ground without warning and could never get up again...
But after all, there are some people who stay awake and try to do something to help others. Outside the gate of the prisoner of war camp, Lieutenant Reznov saw Victor, a new recruit who had just joined the army. Half of this young man's face was burned and he walked with a limp. But he still struggled to find food, fuel and cooking utensils from the ruins, cooked a large pot of hot porridge, and distributed it to the citizens who came to seek refuge to satisfy their hunger. The military doctor in the prisoner of war camp also survived. He set up a tent next to a pile of burning wooden houses and used some rescued medicines and equipment to anti-inflammatory and bandage the wounded.
Some Americans in the prisoner-of-war camp also survived, helping each other get out from under the rubble, and then squatted beside the collapsed barracks in a daze, but they did not dare to escape and did not know what to do - although this time There were no guards to prevent them from leaving, but the extremely harsh nature of Northeast Asia itself was the best jailer. They were not confident that they could survive alone in the winter Kamchatka wilderness.
So, when more and more surviving Soviet citizens came from the city, these Americans became the target of venting their anger, and were punched by angry burly men or Russian aunts, even those who looked like canaries. Generally, a slender and delicate blonde girl will also be squeezed in the crowd, He rushed forward and punched and kicked the American prisoners of war, making them scream... In the burning fire, Second Lieutenant Reznov recognized an American prisoner of war named Cecil. This guy could speak a few words in Russian. , also very handsome in appearance, but at this time he was beaten until his nose was bruised and his face was swollen, and his head was swollen like a pig's head.
As the manager of the prisoner-of-war camp, Second Lieutenant Reznov seemed to have the responsibility to prevent the citizens from committing atrocities against the prisoners of war, but at this moment, he was tired and cold, and he just felt exhausted and too lazy to do anything. So, he just glanced at the beaten prisoners, turned around, found a rock to sit down in a depressed mood, took out a box of cigarettes from his coat pocket, took one out and held it in his mouth. He took out a lighter from his trouser pocket, lit the cigarette skillfully, took a deep breath, and blew out a smoke ring. Then he held the cigarette between his index and middle fingers and looked at the sky full of fire and the destroyed city in a daze.
In the past countless days and nights, Second Lieutenant Reznov complained many times about the frustration of having no way to vent his passion, and was infinitely bored with this boring life far away from the war... But when the war finally reached Kamchatka, Only then did he realize that this was definitely not the war he had dreamed of!
Has the current war become like this? There are no long bugles, rapid drum beats, passionate war songs and high-pitched shouts, no close combat with blood and sweat, no passion and glory that can make people's blood boil, only destruction and death that make people infinitely desperate.
For a professional soldier like him, a war like this... is really... not exciting!
Under the Kamchatka night sky that was red with fire, Second Lieutenant Reznov smiled bitterly and once again blew out a curling smoke ring melancholy...
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When the first American B-29 "Super Fortress" strategic bomber carrying an atomic bomb completed the bomb drop at the port of Petropavlovsk at the southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula, and turned around and returned triumphantly to Alaska. The remaining fleet has not yet completed its mission, but continues to advance along the Kuril Islands towards Vladivostok, the largest city in the Far East of the Soviet Union - this is the key target of this nuclear strike!
——If you compare the target value of Vladivostok with Petropavlovsk, it is like gold compared to black iron.
However, this bombing was destined to not go smoothly. The previous air strikes on Petropavlovsk had provided the Soviet Union with sufficient warning time. When the U.S. B-29 strategic bomber group just flew over the Kamchatka Peninsula and was still flying over the Sea of Okhotsk, it was intercepted by Soviet fighter jets and Japanese fighter jets taking off from Hokkaido - because of aerial reconnaissance. Satellites maintain close surveillance at all times. No matter how the US military disperses its fleet, changes its routes, or plays any tricks, it cannot escape the enemy's pursuit and interception, and can only continue to fight head-on.
As a result, the huge group of B-29 strategic bombers was like a herd of wild horses being hunted by prairie wolves. They were beaten less and less along the way, and some turned back midway due to oil leaks or malfunctions. When they successfully crossed the Sea of Okhotsk, there were only about 120 aircraft left in the entire fleet.
But the next voyage is even more difficult, because ahead is Sakhalin Island and the Tatar Strait, which are famous for being densely fogged all year round. Although American meteorologists predict that it should be sunny over Sakhalin Island today, the cruel reality is not. So... As a result, the B-29 strategic bombers plunged into the fog together with the Soviet fighter jets that came to intercept, and continued to engage in a blindfolded, dark brawl in the thick fog. A considerable number of aircraft were shot down or lost their way, and some particularly unlucky B-29 bombers actually collided with each other.
All in all, the entire U.S. strategic bomber group completely fell apart in the dense fog that stretched for nearly a thousand kilometers over Sakhalin Island. One of the B-29 strategic bombers carrying a nuclear bomb was shot down over the Tartar Strait before it could drop the bomb, and sank to the bottom of the sea with the nuclear bomb. Another B-29 strategic bomber carrying a nuclear bomb panicked in the chaos and muddle-headedly dropped the nuclear bomb on the plane into the uninhabited forest of Sakhalin Island, although it did successfully raise a bright flower. Mushroom cloud, but I am afraid it killed more bears than people... The last B-29 strategic bomber carrying a nuclear bomb finally made it out with bullet holes all over its body. After reaching the fog-shrouded area, they continued to fly westward across the Sea of Japan. However, the crew had completely lost their sense of direction and could not figure out where they had driven the plane. Moreover, they were separated from other bombers and looked at the fuel tanks. It was penetrated and leaked, and the engine was about to stall, so I had to find a relatively large-looking port city and drop the atomic bomb...
Several days later, the United States was confirmed that their nuclear explosion target was actually the Chongjin Port in northeastern North Korea...
——So far, all the three countries in Northeast Asia, China, Japan and North Korea, have experienced the cruel taste of being bombed by nuclear bombs and growing the sun before and after World War III. It can be said that we share blessings and share hardships. We are truly worthy of being good brothers who stand together under the red flag and walk side by side towards the big socialist family.
On this day's Far Eastern Front, the Soviet Union and North Korea were hit by three atomic bombs, resulting in the loss of 205 aircraft, 11 military ships, and nearly 300,000 casualties. Especially since the Soviet Union itself suffered a nuclear bomb for the first time since the war began, it was a huge blow to military morale and morale.
The United States was also forced to pay a heavy price for this nuclear strike - 225 B-29 "Super Fortress" strategic long-range bombers took off from the Aleutian Islands, but in the end only 40 Five planes returned successfully, but 11 of them were seriously damaged and were forced to be scrapped on the spot after returning. The crew alone suffered more than 2,000 casualties or were captured. Of course, compared to later on the same day, when the US strategic nuclear strike bombers took off from the base in Iceland to launch nuclear bombs in the European part of the Soviet Union, such a small scene on the Far East front seemed not worth mentioning...