After arriving in Xinlizhibo, the vanguard of the People's Liberation Army did not rush to start an offensive. Instead, they began to sweep away the remaining enemies on the north bank.
Bob had a lot of men ambushed on the north bank, preparing to carry out another sneak attack when the People's Liberation Army attacked the city, but unexpectedly, the People's Liberation Army came with this move.
Under the carpet-like sweep, many people lurking on the north bank had no choice but to retreat, while those who did not run away could only fight bravely, and their end was nothing more than being killed in the battle, or being beaten. of bullets before surrendering to the enemy.
The raids lasted for a full week, and the MPLA troops did not stop until all areas within a fifty-kilometer radius of the north coast were completely cleared.
Then the main forces of the People's Liberation Army also arrived in Xinliribe.
After a simple battle mobilization, the MPLA immediately began to attack the UNITA headquarters. Several artillery regiments began to cover the UNITA defenses along the river and in depth. After receiving step-by-step instruction from the instructors, the MPLA The People's Liberation Army's artillery unit has made rapid progress, and both the accuracy of artillery fire and the speed of response are unprecedented.
However, the fortifications operated by UNITA for many years are not simple. Repeated bombardment by 122 mm and 130 mm artillery only destroyed those defense facilities located outside the surface, but those bunkers built on the river bank were almost unscathed.
After the shelling, the MPLA dispatched two infantry companies and began a tentative frontal attack.
As the only channel connecting the north and south shores, the two steel bridges became the focus of the battle between the two sides. Under the cover of armored vehicles and T3485 tanks, the People's Liberation Army of China tried to get close to the bridge, and then used the armored troops to cover the engineers to remove the explosives placed on them. . Read the book
However, before the People's Liberation Army came close to the bridge, UNITA's artillery fire fell on the attacking troops. Although the caliber was not as good as the opposite, the coordinates had been calibrated long ago and the firing tables were prepared, plus the frontline mercenaries. Under the guidance of these veterans, the high-explosive bombs falling from the sky seemed to have eyes, exploding in the attack queue of the People's Liberation Army.
The MPLA troops that were responsible for the first wave of attacks suffered heavy losses before they could completely break away from their own positions. However, under the leadership of a few officers and non-commissioned officers, the soldiers who survived the artillery fire still rushed towards the bridge resolutely.
When they entered the firing range of the defenders on the south bank, the machine guns and artillery deployed in the bunker also began to roar. UNITA received assistance from many old 76mm anti-tank guns and 90mm anti-tank guns. These artillery pieces were hidden in bunkers and blocked the bridge deck together with machine guns.
A T3485 tank rushing in front was repeatedly hit by more than a dozen artillery shells. The tank burst into flames and smoke, but at the last moment, the driver forced the vehicle to swing sideways on the bridge, providing a barely usable bunker for the friendly forces behind him.
Then the engineers who followed the infantry attack tried to use this as a basis to put people down on the bridge deck to dismantle the explosives under the bridge. However, there were more bunkers on both sides of the river bank. The engineer team was all killed and could not get close to the location of the explosives.
The first wave of the People's Liberation Army's attack was an extremely heroic fire reconnaissance. Two infantry companies and six tanks were almost destroyed on the offensive road, but they successfully allowed the reconnaissance troops in the rear to confirm that they had not discovered it before. The bunker firepower point.
Subsequently, the MPLA artillery that corrected the coordinates began to cover the area with fire again. Those bunker fortifications that had not been discovered before were opened like cooked kings after being repeatedly bombarded by artillery.
After the shelling ended, the second wave of MPLA troops launched an attack again under the cover of tanks, but the process was the same as the first time. UNITA had been operating here for many years and had deployed countless defenses. The MPLA's shelling often destroyed A bunker, then a new bunker will appear from an inconspicuous corner and continue to fire.
In order to get close to the bridge, the MPLA troops fought for three days, firing tens of thousands of artillery shells, and hundreds of people were killed. After countless attempts, the MPLA troops finally reached the bridgehead on the north bank. Stand firm.
The wreckage of the T3485 tanks used as targets to attract firepower has turned into a temporary defense line on the north bank. Relying on these wreckage, the MPLA troops set up mortars and recoilless rifles, heading towards the south bank.
These direct fires can more effectively destroy the fire points blocking the bridge deck.
While the infantry gritted their teeth and persisted despite the rain of bullets flying from the sky, the engineers and soldiers of the MPLA were also hovering on the edge of death. These soldiers, who shouldered the important task of seizing the bridge, struggled to cover themselves with simple bunkers. Pushing forward bit by bit, when they reached the bridge deck, they began to try again to remove the explosives on the bridge.
Although the firepower points on the south bank have become much quieter than before, the threat is no worse than before, because Savimbi is deploying mercenaries to the front line to fill the shortage of UNITA troops.
The elite shooters from the Boer Defense were lurking among the countless ruins and wreckage. The bridgehead on the north bank was only three to four hundred meters away from their position. These veterans would not directly attack the enemy troops on the other side, but would wait specifically for them. Looking at those engineers.
Because most of the explosives are under the bridge, if MPLA engineers want to dismantle those explosives, they have to use maintenance channels or ropes to lower themselves below, and there are no bunkers here.
This is when the mercenaries were waiting. The enemies on the ladders and ropes were helpless to fight back. When they were attacked, they couldn't even escape because the roads up and down were blocked. The only way they could All you have to do is choose to jump into the rapids under the bridge and drown, or be killed by a sniper.
As for these insidious guys, the People's Liberation Army is really powerless. They lack excellent precision shooters, so they can only continue to fill in people and try to solve the problem with numerical superiority. However, due to the narrow terrain, these efforts ultimately failed. It became a useless effort.
But even if only ten of the troops responsible for the offensive were left, and even if the offensive troops had no hope of victory, the MPLA headquarters still did not stop issuing offensive orders. A steady stream of reserve troops were on the way. How much was lost on the front line, what was the loss on the rear? No matter how much you add, for the People's Liberation Army, this is a battle that cannot fail, so no matter how high the price is, it is still acceptable!
Even if it means sending one's own people under the gunpoint of the other party, all this is just to provide cover for the real offensive operation.
"This is for victory!"
