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The First Battle of Vyborg (Part 1)

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    However, even if the central government agrees that the Eighth Red Army enters Finland to participate in the war, it will still require a certain amount of preparation time. Before that, the Volunteer Army can only rely on its own capabilities to solve the problem.  "There are too many enemies, and it's like they can't be killed." Tukhachevsky said tiredly. In the past three days, he had hardly slept at all, and frequently directed battles at the forward positions. Many  At that time, if he had not arrived on the battlefield in time, the position might have been captured by the White Army.  "We must shrink the defensive front again and continue to maintain the existing front. My defense will collapse in less than three days." Yegorov frowned. Tukhachevsky had not slept well, so why should he?  Closed your eyes?  It is not impossible to shrink the defense line again, but the problem is also very prominent. The battle originally started on the periphery of Vyborg City. After one contraction, there is no defense depth. If it shrinks again, it is equivalent to fighting under the city of Vyborg.  If anything goes wrong, Vyborg may fall.  Egorov could not bear this responsibility, because he knew very well how important Vyborg was to the Central Committee.  At least three or five special trains loaded with food are sent to Petrograd every day. This food largely ensures the Southwest Front's battles in Ukraine and the Don-Volga River Basin.  Without this life-saving food, the Central Committee would simply tear him into pieces and feed them to the dogs.  But if they do not shrink the front and continue to maintain the original front, Tukhachevsky's troops will not be able to withstand it, and they will collapse when the time comes.  After much deliberation, he found it difficult to make up his mind and could only wait for news from a certain immortal.  "It will take seven to nine days at the fastest for the Eighth Red Army to reach the battlefield," Li Xiaofeng said with some annoyance. "For the time being, we can only shrink the front line." Yegorov sighed. In fact, he had already been mentally prepared, and he immediately spread out the map and pointed.  He pointedly said: "Abandon Seleznyvo, let the 1st and 2nd regiments of the 2nd Division temporarily withdraw to the city to rest and serve as reserve forces, and build the Red Eagle Regiment and the 1st Border Police Brigade at the northern front of Vyborg city.  Position, the 3rd Regiment of the 2nd Division and the Finnish Red Guards defended the east side of Vyborg with minor losses Comrade Tukhachevsky, I hope your troops will hold on for as long as possible for one or two days. You must fight for us.  Some time to build a position" "There is nothing outstanding about this kind of defensive arrangement, but it is also a skillful woman who cannot make a meal without rice. Yegorov only has these troops at hand, and he originally intended to attack more with less.  What can he do?  However, Yegorov still tried his best to make targeted arrangements and ordered: "Comrade Andrei, you go to the Red Eagle Regiment and the First Brigade of the Border Police to supervise the operations. I will go to the positions of the Third Regiment and the Red Guards. Picture  Comrade Khachevsky, take the time to rest and make preparations for emergencies! "It seems that Yegorov assigned the most dangerous area to a certain immortal to head-on the White Army.  A strong attack, but he himself went to the relatively safe flank.  It seems very unkind.  In fact, this is not the case. Although the north of Vyborg is the direction of the main attack of the White Army.  However, both the Red Eagle Regiment and the First Brigade of the Border Police Force have strong combat capabilities and equipment, but in fact they are less stressful.  Defending the east side of Vyborg are the 2nd Division and 3rd Regiment of the Volunteer Army and the Finnish Red Guards. Needless to say what the quality of the Finnish Red Guards is, they are just a bunch of rabble.  After the battle in the previous period, the Second Division and the Third Regiment suffered relatively high consumption and losses, and their combat effectiveness was also reduced.  In other words, the area where Yegorov will supervise the battle is actually more dangerous.  Late at night on May 28, the thirteenth day the volunteers entered Finland to fight, Tukhachevsky¡¯s troops successfully withdrew from the Seleznivo front line under the cover of darkness.  In fact, they are not far from Vyborg, no more than ten kilometers, and these ten kilometers are the only remaining strategic depth of Vyborg.  Behind them, the Red Eagle Regiment and the First Brigade of the Border Police were ready for battle. Trenches were dotted like a spider web. In a very short time, they dug out a defense line composed of three front and rear trenches.  This made Tukhachevsky incredible.  "How did you do all this?" Tukhachevsky asked a certain immortal while looking at the neatly arranged trenches.  ¡°We fully mobilized the workers in Viborg City, worked together, and then used a little mechanization.¡± Li Xiaofeng replied with some pride.  It is not surprising that Tukhachevsky mobilized the workers of Vyborg.  However, with Vyborg's small population, it would be impossible to build such a neat defense line within two days through nationwide mobilization.  He felt that the greater possibility was that a certain immortal said that mechanized power played a greater role.  Tukhachevsky's guess was absolutely correct. The decisive factor was the ten trench diggers that a certain immortal urgently "imported" from abroad. This kind of strong man hung on the back of a truck could dig two trenches in one hour.  There are 150 meters of trenches one meter deep and one meter wide, and ten machines take turns to fight. Within two days, it wasThe soil around the fort was loosened.  Nicholas, a veteran of the Volunteer Army who drove a trench digger at the time, recalled: ¡°At first, only a few very simple positions were built outside the city of Vyborg. The dug trenches meant that even a man of medium size would have to squat down with half of his body exposed  If we only rely on such a position to resist the 100,000 White Army, I am afraid it will be a disaster At the critical moment, Comrade Andrei had a way to import ten trench digging machines. This kind of treasure is really easy to use. It can be used within an hour.  The workload was equivalent to what our whole battalion had to do for a whole day. Ten machines were put into action in turns, 24 hours a day without rest. It took only two days to build a solid position. Ye Ge, who came to inspect at that time,  It is said that Comrade Rove reported to the Central Committee as soon as possible and strongly requested to immediately find ways to purchase more trench digging machines, preferably to equip all engineering battalions in the entire army" "Of course, ten advanced trench digging machines  Immortal Ji couldn't afford it, but after the last upgrade, Cornucopia opened a new rental function.  A certain immortal was forced to have no other choice, so he gritted his teeth and rented ten units. In those two days, he almost urinated blood from exhaustion.  But the effort was worth it. Anyway, when Mannerheim led his troops to the Red Eagle Regiment's position, he took a breath of cold air.  He asked the staff officers around him: "Didn't the previous aerial reconnaissance say that the Russian positions were very thin? Are these spider web-like trenches created out of thin air?" The staff officers could not answer a word, because the two German air forces  That was indeed what was written in the reconnaissance report a few days ago. At that time, the Germans also swore that the defenses around Vyborg were as thin as a piece of paper and could be broken with a poke.  Damn it!  The staff officers didn't know what to say. If the defensive position in front of them could be regarded as a piece of paper, then this "paper" would probably be the strongest and thickest in the world.  Mannerheim¡¯s initial plan was to rush in quickly and break through the opponent¡¯s defense in an instant. He thought that he only needed to rush into Viborg.  The Red Guards and the Russians are out of business, and everything is game over.  For this reason, he deliberately encouraged the soldiers before the war: "Gentlemen and brothers, we have successfully penetrated the Russian defense line. Vyborg is in front of us. Taking back Vyborg means that the war is over. I  I sincerely request you to use the fastest speed and the most violent offensive to rush over and crush the enemyFinland will win! Long live Finland!" Amidst the cheers, Mannerheim's staff said emotionally.  The old man said: "Your Majesty General, this is the sound of victory! You will create the history and future of Finland!" At that time, Mannerheim was also a little proud.  Although he did not respond to this, he felt in his heart that the battle would soon end, the Russians would be defeated and driven away, and Finland's peace and freedom would be defended.  But now, the old man just looked at the volunteer army's position.  He was already half cold. His troops lacked heavy artillery, and it was difficult to shake such a solid position that was fortified in layers.  Of course, Mannerheim is not the kind of coward who is timid before fighting. Even if he knows that it is impossible to break through the Russian defense line in one go, he will always give it a try. How can he find the weakness of the enemy's defense line if he doesn't try?  ?  After a brief and rapid artillery preparation.  Groups of Finnish white troops jumped out of the attack position, holding military flags and carrying rifles, and strode toward the Red Eagle Regiment's position.  The first thing that greeted them was the rain of bullets from 82mm and 60mm mortars hidden in the trenches. Although the Red Eagle Regiment did not have any heavy artillery, the mortars were still enough.  Each battalion of the Red Eagle Regiment has an artillery company equipped with eight 82mm mortars.  The firepower platoon of each infantry company also has four 60mm mortars to support the battle, which means that each battalion has 20 mortars.  Compared with the direct fire support used by the Red Eagle Regiment, the firepower density of the 76mm mountain guns and infantry guns equipped by the Finnish White Army is simply not enough.  The battle had just begun, and already one-third of the charging White troops had fallen.  And they were still several hundred meters away from the Red Eagle Regiment's frontline position.  Koslin, a Finnish veteran who participated in this battle, recalled: "The enemy's firepower was too strong. Compared with them, our artillery was just a piece of stinking shit. They loaded slowly and fired lazily.  They don¡¯t even care that our brothers on the front line are being massacred!¡± Another veteran, Hu Ersen, also echoed: ¡°The artillery is really weak. By the time we rushed to about five or six hundred meters away from the enemy¡¯s position, more than half of our brothers had already fallen.  In a pool of blood, my brother fell there forever Of course, for the dead, they have been relieved, but for those of us who are alive, the nightmare has just begun" pk machine gun  It started to show its power at a distance of 600 meters, then the sks45 started firing with a clanging sound, and finally the Uzi submachine gun sprayed flames. Under the greeting of the automatic weapons, the White Army who participated in the first wave of attacks could escape back to the starting position.  At most only?Only one or two out of ten.  Many white soldiers who were organized fell under the guns of the Red Eagle Regiment.  When the gunfire stopped and the smoke began to clear, Mannerheim noticed the shocked look of the staff around him. The old man wrote in his memoirs: " They were frightened, and everyone stared.  Their eyes widened and their mouths enlarged, and a minute later, I heard the sound of swallowing salivaEveryone of them stared blankly, hoping that I could explain the phenomenon in front of them" Staff officer Hailsen recalled:  "The explanation given by General Mannerheim was: 'I have warned you long ago that your opponents are unprecedentedly powerful. The weapons they are equipped with are not for fighting, but for killing'" In Red Eagle  Shocked by the regiment's powerful firepower, Mannerheim's offensive the morning before ended hastily.  The soldiers were frightened and in desperate need of comfort.  Moreover, the old man must also think about how to break through the Red Eagle Regiment's position. He is not Nogi Nogi, and he does not intend to fill the enemy's trenches with human flesh.  "Change the direction of attack!" Mannerheim quickly made a decision. He couldn't chew the hard nut of the Red Eagle Regiment. He was not a fool and could only attack this point.  On the contrary, Mannerheim was very shrewd. After realizing that the Red Eagles were becoming increasingly difficult to deal with, he immediately approached Egorov.  Compared to the Red Eagles, his unit is much more "normal".  Same as the offensive routine in the morning, first a sudden artillery attack, then an infantry charge.  This time there was indeed no overwhelming mortar bombs falling.  They were replaced by 122mm grenades. Although the firing frequency was not as fast as that of mortars, their power should not be underestimated. The shrapnel harvested the White Army in pieces, and then came the symphony of Maxim and PK machine guns intertwined.  Mannerheim's troops were repelled again, which made the old man understand that with all the firepower he was using now, he could not break through the Russian defense line.  That night, he telegraphed Svenhuwud again: "The enemy has built a strong defensive position around Vyborg, and the troops urgently need heavy artillery support. If we cannot crush the enemy's defense line, we will be unable to advance even an inch!" It should be said that the old man said  The judgment is very accurate. In the face of strong defensive positions, big hooligans like Britain, France, Germany and the United States have little choice but to hit them with hundreds of thousands or millions of artillery shells.  You may not be able to advance even a few kilometers.  As for Mannerheim, not to mention one hundred thousand or one million rounds of artillery shells, the artillery fire prepared during the attack could have several thousand rounds of artillery shells. He would burst his teeth and laugh.  The battle came to an abrupt end after the first day. Facing Viborg, Mannerheim had no choice but to wait for assistance.  To be precise, it was the assistance of the German Expeditionary Force.  "Heavy artillery?" After Count Geertz heard that the Finns needed heavy artillery support, the first thing he had was suspicion.  He had seen the level of fighting in the Finnish Civil War. In his eyes, this level of fighting was like two groups of hooligans making quarrels with each other.  Have you ever heard that heavy artillery is used in group fights?  At first, Count Geertz did not want to support the Finnish heavy artillery. Germany was preparing for a grand offensive.  Most of the heavy artillery and horses were shipped to the Western Front, and were left to fight British cattle, French chickens and American young soldiers.  There really are no heavy artillery to support the Finnish natives.  But Mannerheim¡¯s demands were so firm and unyielding, with a posture of never attacking without heavy artillery.  So much so that Count Geertz became annoyed and had to go to the front line in person.  However, when he saw the Russian defense line, he turned around and sent an urgent telegram to the country: "The Finnish heavy artillery must be supported. The Russian fortifications are too strong. I doubt that without the support of heavy artillery, the Finns will lose all their strength."  Even after a drop of blood, it was impossible to break through their defenses What caught my attention even more was that if the Finns hadn't lied, how could the Russians have built such a position in two days!  ¡± Under Mannerheim¡¯s strong request and Count Geertz¡¯s constant urging, the Germans quickly sent genuine heavy artillery to the expeditionary force, the outdated 1885-type 210 mm heavy cannon.  Of course, the performance of the "cannon" of that era was very limited. The projectile weighed 105 kilograms, the maximum range was a little more than 10 kilometers, and the "giant cannon" with a maximum firing rate of two rounds per minute was indeed obsolete in this era.  But being old-fashioned doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s useless. It caused great damage to the positions of the Second Division and the Third Regiment and the Red Guards. It can even be said to be devastating!  Ivan, a veteran of the Volunteer Army, recalled: "The enemy's heavy artillery was so terrifying. I will never forget the sound of the shells whizzing down. It would not explode immediately when it fell. According to the artillery brothers, it was a delayed fuse.  The shells penetrate deeply into the soil before exploding Each explosion will lift up nearly twenty square meters of soil. Under the action of the gun, the soil will violently spray into the sky, and then fall down like rain"  Another veteran Semenov also said: "Once, the impact point of the artillery shell was near the trench where I was. The violent explosion destroyed this section of the trench, and the soil lifted up flew more than ten meters high, and the falling  It happened to hit me on the head It was so terrible. I was buried alive in an instant. A few minutes later, when I thought I was dead, the squad leader and several other brothers finally opened up and covered me.  The soil layer pulled me out like a carrot" "The only good thing is that the Germans support only four heavy artillery pieces, and because their life span is about to expire, these four cannons can only be used to their maximum potential.  Shoot at a low rate of fire.  Otherwise, the Second Division, Third Regiment and the Red Guards will be in even greater trouble.  Of course, for Yegorov, the current problem is already very serious. Under the attack of the enemy's heavy artillery, the supporting points on his position have been uprooted and destroyed bit by bit, and fierce hand-to-hand combat has broken out in some areas.  Although the soldiers drove away the Finnish white dog with their enthusiasm, the price paid was not heavy!  "We can't let the opponent's heavy artillery do what they want!" Yegorov said with red eyes, "We must pull out this sting! We must!" But counter-artillery operations have never been easy, especially now, when the Volunteer Army is the only one  The 105mm cannon that can reach the opponent's range only has shrapnel shells available. It is just fine for attacking infantry, but it is unable to attack solid fortifications and artillery positions.  Send infantry. Those four heavy artillery must be under heavy cover from the enemy. It is not easy to destroy them!  However, some people are very confident about this. Sukhoi stood up confidently: "Our Air Force is willing to complete this task!" ps: Bow and thank Comrade hangdd, Juventus and Instant Kill Potato!
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