Chapter 7 River Valley Battlefield (Part 1)

I was on a hurry to travel on Jiujiang, and Mu had time to ask for leave and apologize to all the examiners!

Donbeen, a small town in western Austria located on the edge of the mountains on the Rhine River. Eight kilometers north is Lake Constance at the junction of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Thirty kilometers south is Liechtenstein. The valley, which is 40 kilometers long and has an average width of about four or five kilometers, is one of the rare open areas on the northern foot of the Alps. For a long time, the valley of the upper Rhine River has been both a rich place with abundant resources and a scenic tourist destination. The unique natural environment allows it to avoid the cruel killings of the two world wars. However, it is difficult to find a real pure land. As soon as Lynn's three thousand men arrived, the fierce sound of gunfire broke through the long-term tranquility of the place.

Youdao is that the strong generals have no weak soldiers. The German Free Corps, tempered by harsh environment and high-intensity combat operations, was like a tiger going down the mountain. In just a few days, it raided many Soviet troops on the western border of Austria. Whether it was a dozen posts or a barracks and fortresses of hundreds of people, they swept across the autumn wind to sweep the fallen leaves, leaving no extravagant hope for the Soviets. Even Bregenz, a military stronghold defended by more than a thousand Soviet officers and soldiers, fought down. One week away from the New Year in 1949, it reached the Swiss border in the west, the Liechtenstein border in the south, the steep mountains in the east, and the Austrian valley area on the shore of Lake Constance in the north was "free"

", within a radius of dozens of kilometers, the few Soviet troops guarding the bridge and passes were too busy to take care of themselves, so how could they have the courage to launch a counterattack? However, this time, Lynn did not announce the high-profile announcement that this place would break away from Soviet control and become another "free land" like in Salzburg, but instead focused on reorganizing the army and preparing for war. Influenced by the diplomatic affairs of the allies, the Swiss government turned a blind eye to the personnel and vehicles that "smuggled" materials to the Free Corps across the border. In addition, the imperial reinforcements from northern Italy flipped through the Alps, Lynn's main force quickly expanded to more than 5,000 people, and obtained a large number of important combat equipment such as artillery, ammunition, and mines.

Successively, Salzburg, Traunstein and Obersdorf lost their troops, and they were almost wiped out by the opponents with no advantage in numbers. The Soviet military, with a strong sense of self-esteem, could not tolerate such humiliation and provocation from their opponents. This time, more than 2,000 people were lost in the Upper Rhine Valley. The Soviet army dispatched troops to the heavy corps that gathered in the Salzburg area and pulled nets in northwestern Austria quickly mobilized westward. The main forces deployed in the hinterland of Austria and Germany continued to divide their troops southward, and even the mountain troops of the Caucasus Military Region rushed to the Alps thousands of miles. Judging from the forces invested, the Soviet army was obviously not willing to launch a battle of "cannons to kill mosquitoes".

Before getting the conclusive news of the Soviet troops' mobilization, Lin Neng had a clear understanding of the situation he was in. He ordered the main force to build defense lines in a dangerous position while resting and building defense lines. At the same time, he dispatched personnel from the imperial elites to form more than 20 special operations teams, targeting bridges and passes within more than 100 kilometers east of the valley to carry out raids. Although most of the bridges and important passes were stationed by Soviet troops and Austrian auxiliary personnel, these elites were all invincible under the leadership of special operations veterans. With the sound of roaring through the mountains, more than 30 bridges built on tributaries of the Rhine River collapsed one after another, and more than 50 defended passes were blocked by soil and rocks, and a large number of mountain roads were different.

As a result, the road from the heart of Austria to the upper valley of the Rhine was basically interrupted, and Lynn's special forces team did not retreat successfully. They lurked in a dangerous area with sniper rifles and mortars, carrying out flexible and changeable harassment operations against the Soviet reinforcements trying to rebuild bridges or forcibly swim, leaving these aggressive Soviet soldiers unable to go around the shortcuts, and artificial bridges faced many difficulties, and they were in a dilemma for a time. They were unable to pass the east, and on both sides of the southwest, they were "protected" by two neutral countries, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Only the Soviet troops could arrive at Lake Constance and the mountainous areas with a slightly slower terrain on the east bank...

On December 30, 1948, fierce offensive and defensive battles were first launched on the northern foot of Padeng Mountain north of Bregenz. The heavy tanks of the Soviet army were unable to cross the Padeng Mountain main body with an average altitude of more than 400 meters. The Soviet troops attacked the Free Corps with the main force of infantry and the high defense. At the same time, more than 100 T-34s and armored troop vehicles carried out strong attacks in the lakeside depressions of less than 40 meters between Padeng and Lake Constant, trying to seize the northern barrier of the Upper Rhine Valley from more than a thousand enemy defense personnel at any cost. They had a large number of self-propelled artillery and field

The Soviet army, which was supported by the air force, occupied the scene completely, but the opponent's defense experience and ability were first-class. They made full use of the solid mountains and steep terrain to organize layers of defense. On the first morning of the fire exchange, the Soviet army dropped more than 2,000 corpses on the north slope, and the beautiful lakeside depression also became a purgatory of Soviet armored soldiers. Anti-tank guns fired in hidden positions, mountain war vehicles that were mobile defense, and brave and invincible infantry anti-tank hands formed an airtight fire network. The wreckage of chariots and the bodies of dead people could be seen everywhere in the depressions covered with smoke and clouds.

The frontal attack was defeated, and the Soviet troops attacked from east Paden were in a worse condition. In those steep areas where hiking climbs were quite difficult, several imperial soldiers with sufficient ammunition could make a series of Soviet troops retreat. Moreover, every mountain top with an altitude of more than kilometers in this area was guarded by a combat team equipped with heavy mortars or light mountain guns. It was difficult for the Soviet troops to attack day and night. Under such circumstances, the Soviet troops in Germany accelerated the speed of collecting ferries, and the northern end of the Rhine Valley was more than ten kilometers wide from Bregenz, Austria to Tal, Switzerland, and half of them. Just as Paden was fighting fiercely

At that time, Lynn received an important piece of information: the Soviet Union submitted a diplomatic note to Switzerland, informing the Soviet army that the Soviet army might set foot on the Swiss territory on the shore of Lake Constance in the next combat operation. The Soviet Union's move was purely for the purpose of fulfilling the content of the armistice agreement and had no intention of infringing on Switzerland's neutrality. On the grounds of infringing on its own neutrality, the Swiss government raised a strong protest against the Soviet Union's notes, and the Soviets did not show their strong diplomacy in the future. They just repeatedly emphasized that the Free Corps is a military force controlled by fascist remnants, and allowing it to develop will only indulge the recovery of the Nazi forces and the loss of the stable pattern.

The rippling lake surface reflects the angular white snow-capped mountains, which is the most representative natural landscape on Lake Constance. In the middle of winter, in the early morning, a blue-gray mist floats on the lake surface, and a faint motor sound comes from the depths of the fog. A gray "big fish" was originally half floating on the water to breathe. When it heard this non-natural sound, it disappeared into the cold lake water in a blink of an eye. From above, the black shadows in the water gradually blurred, leaving only the periscope the size of a can box to peek at the water surface.

More than ten minutes later, a light-colored ship shadow broke through the fog. It was not a common ferry or tourist cruise on Lake Constance, but a gunboat with complete military equipment and murderous aura. On the bow flagpole, the Soviet Navy flag fluttered in the wind, and on the deck gun position, Soviet troops wearing sailor uniforms were on guard. In a moment, the second gunboat with a different appearance appeared, followed by the third and fourth ships. The civilians living near Lake Constance had probably never seen this here in their lifetime.

Many combat ships. Under their guidance, ferries, barges and private sightseeing yachts that were forcibly recruited were sailing from north to south one after another. They had different shapes and appearances, but at this time they lined up in many neat columns like naval fleets rushing to the battlefield. On these civilian ships, soldiers wearing steel helmets, long clothes, and carrying bags seemed to be ready for landing operations. They all looked grim and seemed to be reluctant to even make irrelevant jokes...

Suddenly, the shouts of "torpedo! torpedo!" broke the hypocritical tranquility. The first thing to find out was the Soviet soldiers on a large ferry. For this inland lake, the "large ferry" is a ship carrying two or three hundred passengers and dozens of tons of cargo, but it stands out in this complex fleet. Seeing the shark-like stealth objects approaching quickly, and there was no time to avoid and have the ability to resist strikes, the Soviet officers and soldiers placed their only hope on the guns in their hands. Within a few seconds, the firepower of the pistols and submachine guns burst out, and countless water columns splashed nearby water surfaces. However, how likely these ordinary bullets could directly detonate or change the trajectory? The expert's answer would probably disappoint these Soviet officers and soldiers who tried to seize the life-saving straw.

Under the lake, the "Seal" micro-submarine that had been parked in a secret warehouse for three years turned around and swam without hesitation after launching two torpedoes - they obviously did not have to worry that the Soviets would bring the battle ship equipped with sonar here. As a two-person submarine designed for attacking ships, the "Seal" is equipped with the most basic equipment for completing combat missions. The hull is from front to back into battery compartment, crew compartment and cabin. There are larger command towers on the hull, and there are two 533 mm torpedoes mounted below both sides of the hull. The construction and maintenance of this micro-submarine are very simple. In the case of industrial collapse at the end of the Third Reich, the shipyards are still

262 small submarines were built, and a considerable number of them were able to be put into actual combat. They were equipped with small-power diesel engines for charging, and their endurance was pretty good, but their seaworthiness was really unsatisfactory. At the end of World War II, 244 were only sunk 16 merchant ships in the war. Their losses were as high as 105, most of which were sunk due to harsh sea conditions such as storms. Fortunately, this time it was in the Inner Lake where the water was smooth, and the ship technicians temporarily found by the Empire's intelligence department also used their dedicated work to ensure that it could sail and return its submarine. Using the light torpedo produced in Switzerland, it might be able to create a legend of its own...

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Chapter completed!