Late at night on April 9, 1951, Siaoli Ireda station in northern Lithuania. In a computer room filled with instruments and equipment, Soviet technicians wearing boat-shaped skullcaps stared at different models of radar screens with stern expressions. What did the dense light spots or continuously curved wave lines mean? Everyone here was wondering. It was so clear that the atmosphere in the room seemed particularly solemn. Just two or three years ago, when the war between the Eastern and Western camps was in full swing, the Allied long-range bomber groups often visited the hinterland of the Soviet Union at night, and the airspace of Lithuania and Latvia was basically the only way for them to go back and forth. To this end, the Soviet air defense forces established a huge radar defense system in these two areas that were annexed in the early years to facilitate detection and tracking of the Allied bomber groups and guide their own fighter jets and ground air defense forces to intercept them.
In this heavyweight competition, although the Soviet Union finally gained the upper hand with the outstanding performance of its army and air force, their performance in preventing enemy bombing and defending their own territory can only be evaluated as unsatisfactory. According to statistics, during the war, the Allied forces dispatched more than 400,000 bombers to the Soviet Union and dropped more than 700,000 tons of bombs, causing huge damage to Soviet industrial and military facilities. The Soviet army shot down more than 5,000 Allied bombers. , the shoot-down rate was only more than one percent, far less than the German Air Force's record during World War II. The reason was not that Soviet fighter pilots were afraid of death, nor was it that Soviet air force commanders were incompetent. After World War II, both the United States and Britain established first-class strategic bomber forces with thousands of high-performance bombers. From commanders to pilots, they all have rich combat experience and reasonable tactical arrangements. On the other hand, the Soviet Union It inherited a vast territory, a huge population, and an industrial base that was almost in the feudal era from Tsarist Russia. Its mechanical and electrical technology is far from that of the European and American powers. Even though this situation has been significantly improved during multiple "Five-Year Plans", But Soviet policymakers focused more on those "visible" areas, such as aircraft, tanks and even infantry weapons. In a duel between top players. The weaknesses of this method of walking on slopes are obvious - the lack of excellent high-altitude interceptors, the primitive performance of ground warning radars, insufficient quantity, and vulnerability to interference and suppression by opponents. All these factors have caused the Soviets to suffer a lot in homeland air defense. They had no choice but to reduce bombing losses by dispersing industrial facilities. The most direct consequence of this approach is the decline in industrial efficiency. After the outbreak of the Second Soviet-German War, the covert resistance and soft blockade of Western countries made the Soviet Union's industrial economy very difficult, and the frontline troops often did not receive adequate supplies of materials. In order to overcome these difficulties, the Soviets were determined to reorganize their industry. In view of the unlikely possibility that the Western Allies would directly participate in the war, and the Luftwaffe was struggling to resist, they relocated many factories scattered east of the Urals back to industrial cities with convenient transportation. In Moscow, Leningrad, Stalingrad, Kiev and other places, chimneys that had been dormant for many years began to spew smoke again, while military-industrial enterprises, especially core factories that produce aircraft, tanks, and rockets, still remain in the Ural Industrial Zone and along the Siberian Railway. As a result, there were targets with bombing value in the hinterland of the Soviet Union. The U.S. strategic intelligence department was the first to discover this. They quickly sent the B29 bombers that had been sealed in storage to the Germans. The British followed closely with extreme measures. Redundant and useless Lancasters were brought in at low prices, and the Luftwaffe rebuilt its bomber force almost overnight. Its attack range, destructive power and self-defense capabilities far exceed those of the bomber groups of the Third Reich Air Force in the past!
The Soviet air defense warning center in Lithuania was also established at the Siauliai radar station. In the central hall located in the underground bunker, the sergeants fed back the information detected by the radar on the map indicator board. On the one hand, this important information is provided to the fighter command, and they pass it to the flying fighter pilots. After breaking through the forward defense line composed of MiG-9 jet fighters, the incoming German bombers crossed the coastline and entered Lithuanian airspace. At the same time, fighter planes taking off from various airports in Lithuania were gathering. They not only have jet fighters, but also a large number of piston fighters using supercharged technology. When the range of ground anti-aircraft guns is difficult to reach and the efficiency of anti-aircraft rockets is still low, the second line of defense composed of these high-altitude interceptors is regarded as It is the most important barrier to protect the Soviet Union's hinterland.
In the radar room, which is less than 20 meters away from the command center, all work is in progress. Suddenly, the radar screen that displays the detection results in a rotating needle manner is filled with countless light spots. The radar displayed by the pulse wave also showed an extremely abnormal picture, as if tens of thousands of aircraft were flying in the detection airspace at the same time. Seeing this situation, the highest-ranking military officer here, a steady and experienced Soviet colonel, ordered the activation of the anti-jamming plan. Although the technical gap is still obvious, the Soviets still explored a series of anti-jamming methods through actual combat. A radar network consisting of multiple radar stations and a variety of radars has also greatly improved the efficiency of the ground warning system.
"Attention! The enemy aircraft group is turning north! Bearing 3349, direction 231! Repeat, the enemy aircraft areThe flock is turning north"
In the command hall of the air defense alert center, the information transmitted by officers and communications soldiers will eventually be transmitted to each fighter unit through wired telephones. These telephone lines also transmit key information from the front back. The stakes are so high that even when people are busy, they will spare even one-tenth of their energy to listen to the few words from their colleagues.
"What? What? You repeat it again? Okay, the 18th Combat Regiment will be the first to engage the enemy! The battle has begun"
After confirming the information, the communications soldier turned to report to the commander. Through the glass window of the command room, people could only see the expression of the senior general but could not hear what they were saying, but what is certain is that no matter how passive the Soviet Union was in this war, most of them Most Soviet soldiers and civilians are working hard for final victory. Now that our own high-altitude interceptors have started a fierce battle with the enemy's fleet, the temporary interference with the radar is not so important. The officers relaxed their nerves a little and even discussed in a low voice the German bombers that launched the first air strike on the Soviet Union in this war. What a disastrous end the troops would have. They didn't know that every American-made B29 handed over to the Luftwaffe had been equipped with fire control radars, which meant that their night self-defense capabilities were still very powerful, except for a few MiG-15s. , most Soviet fighter jets have not been equipped with airborne radars to this day, and their main weapons are still at the stage of unguided air-to-air rockets and machine guns. Comparing the two, the night battle between the two sides has determined the outcome on a technical level.
Three hours later, Moscow.
Although there was not enough psychological preparation for the German bombing of the capital, the Soviet army had a relatively complete and large air defense system around Moscow. Shortly after the air raid warning was issued, the beams of high-power searchlights began to search for targets in the dark blue night sky. , and the air defense forces around the city and responsible for protecting important facilities also entered combat mode in time. Some fighter jets taking off from nearby airports were scrambled into the air, but they still failed to pose a fatal threat to their opponents. Soon, aerial bombs falling from high altitudes made piercing screams, and the earth-shaking explosions began to destroy the originally prosperous city. In the dazzling firelight, one after another uniform collective buildings were destroyed due to the It shook and collapsed due to the powerful impact, and the broken glass was flying everywhere like snow flakes. Muscovites behind the curtains were shocked by this scene they had never seen before! Not every bomb that fell blackly caused a deafening explosion. Some of the bombs that fell on the west side of the city just burned and burned violently. There are Moscow's most prosperous neighborhoods and many government office buildings, despite the spring air. It was relatively humid, and the wind was much less strong than in winter, but the flames soaring into the sky still spread quickly along the dense buildings, so that people's ears were filled with people's cries and screams, and many people had not had time to leave their homes. It was already surrounded by fire, and rolling fire dragons soon appeared in the sky above the city!
Before the sound of the explosion went away, fire trucks bravely rushed to the building with the biggest fire. Many citizens had spontaneously joined in putting out the fire, while others dragged their families and tried to escape to relatively safe open spaces. zone. In sight, slender water dragons were fighting against their mortal enemies, and many soldiers from outside the city also began to help the residents evacuate. The sound of anti-aircraft artillery around the city gradually weakened, and the huge attention of searchlights was still searching in vain. The nightmare-like air raid seemed to have come to an end. However, due to the interception and interference by Soviet fighter jets midway, the long-distance raiding German bombers were divided into After several waves, about ten minutes after the previous wave of air strikes ended, a second group of German bombers also flew into the city marked by thick smoke and fire. The navigators were able to calmly aim at the center of the city. At an altitude of several thousand meters, the outline of the city could be discerned with American-made radar sights. High-explosive bombs and incendiary bombs fell indiscriminately, hitting the depths of people's souls like the hammer of death. Death became the theme of Moscow that night, and bombs and fires devoured countless living lives. , the overflowing thick smoke put many residents hiding in their homes into desperate situations, and in some neighborhoods, stampedes also claimed many lives. After this battle, the confidence of the Soviet people was immeasurably affected. Looking at the flames in Moscow, the masters of the Kremlin had to re-examine the prospects of this war (To be continued)
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