Chapter 586: No Waves
The basic strategy has been determined, and Chen Chen quickly began to communicate with Suhail and began to deploy specific combat tasks based on the current strength and equipment of the Syrian government forces.
In fact, this was Chen Chen's first time conducting tactical deductions on such a large scale. Just the dense pennants representing military strength on the map sand table made Chen Chen feel a little numb.
Fortunately, his foundation in reading pictures was not bad. After listening to Suhail's analysis and interpretation for more than half an hour, he finally had a general understanding of the current basic situation of the confrontation between the Syrian government forces and other enemy forces, including Turkey.
Standing in front of the sand table, Chen Chen pointed at the position of the red pennant with his hand, sketching the situation on the battlefield over and over in his mind.
A three-dimensional map like a satellite view gradually emerged in his mind. After thinking for a while, he asked:
"Now the 3rd Army has only 40,000 troops left in Aleppo. If we transfer two more armored divisions from the 3rd Army, can they still hold the northern defense line of Aleppo?"
After hearing Chen Chen's words, Suhaier pondered for a moment, and then replied:
"If two reorganized armored divisions are to be drawn out, it means that basically all the current armored units of the 3rd Army must be drawn out."
"As a result, the remaining armored division is in name only. It can only rely on light infantry firepower and a small amount of long-range firepower support from the artillery regiment to fight against the large number of rebels scattered on the north side of Aleppo."
"Theoretically, they should be able to hold on for a while."
"However, this can only remain theoretical."
"The reason is simple. Our team is not as determined as your team. When faced with major difficulties, their threshold for collapse is relatively high."
"If your team may completely collapse after killing the last combatant, then our team may start to show signs of collapse after losing 20% of its troops, and completely collapse after the loss reaches 30%. ”
"Once the defense line on the northern side of Aleppo collapses, the Free Army, with the support of Turkey, can march straight in and launch an attack on the city of Aleppo."
"Once Aleppo is lost, there will be no point in retaking Raqqa."
"So, this plan is not optional. Even if we make a desperate move, we cannot bear the inevitable failure."
"clear."
Chen Chen nodded slightly, and then continued to ask:
"What if we don't need to reorganize the armored divisions?"
"What we require is the highest mobility. That is to say, we do not need the artillery regiments in the three armored divisions of the 3rd Army. They can all stay to support the remaining infantry."
"Then some heavily armored but slow tanks can also be eliminated early."
"We only need light armored vehicles, armed pickup trucks, high-mobility transport vehicles, and other equipment that can support the rapid movement of troops along the border."
"If we follow this configuration, can the remaining armored division be able to withstand it?"
After Chen Chen's words fell, Suhail immediately looked at Isam sitting in the middle, and then, Isam looked at the weathered officer next to him.
"Can you hold it?"
Issam asked.
".able!"
The officer gritted his teeth and replied:
"We can support it for at least half a month. If we can get more supply support in the future, it will be no problem for a month."
"But I think if it goes beyond a month, that's not within our reach."
"Continuous troop depletion will definitely make us passive, and after Turkey discovers this breakthrough, it will definitely re-mobilize its forces to launch an attack."
"Until then, we need a commitment of support."
"Otherwise, almost no one can withstand their large-scale march south."
"That's your problem."
Issam interrupted the officer and said sternly:
"The mopping up operations on the border will last for at least a month. During this period, you can only rely on yourself."
"Listen, this is not a civil service meeting where you can make excuses and pour out your grievances. Everyone sitting here must be prepared to sacrifice their lives for the country."
"If you're not ready, quit and I'll find someone to take your place."
"But if you don't want to leave, don't tell me how difficult the mission is. We will make our own judgment."
"All you need to do is execute, understand?"
".clear."
The officer nodded slowly, and then replied firmly:
"We can hold it."
"Within a month, I guarantee that we will not lose our position."
"After one month, I promise to die on the battlefield."
"That's it."
Isam waved his hand gently, then looked at Chen Chen, nodding for him to continue.
Chen Chen took a deep breath and said:
"After adding the two armored divisions of the 3rd Army, the total force we can mobilize reaches 70,000, for a total of five armored divisions."
"Similar to the strategy of the First Army, we will leave most of the heavy artillery of the artillery regiment to support the rear battlefield and maintain the confrontation between the enemy forces in Raqqa."
"Other mobile units need to be reorganized and combined into seven attack groups according to the offensive mission."
"The positions of these eight groups are Reyhanle, Gillis, Jarabulus, Ain Arab, Akcakale, Jaylan Penal, and Amuda."
"Generally speaking, the attack directions are arranged from west to east, and each attack group is only responsible for one attack direction and a border line of about 50 kilometers in length in that direction."
"Each attack group must move vertically and horizontally within these 50 kilometers, constantly consuming the strength of the Turkish border guards through mobile warfare and guerrilla warfare, and exerting pressure on them to maintain stability and public security."
"Among them, the most difficult and dangerous places are Gillis and Jarabulus, while the least difficult ones are Amuda and Reyhanle."
"Therefore, we will invest the main forces and equipment in Gilis and Jarabulus, while the local militia organizations in Amda and Reyhanl will undertake the attack mission."
"Amda is on the north side of Hasakah Province and is close to Hasakah. There is already a militia there with a strength of 1,000 people."
"Next, they will be commanded by Chaisili and organize 'guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines' in accordance with the order."
"As for Reyhanle, this direction is located near Idlib on the east side. The 3rd Armored Division of the 3rd Army that remains behind can cooperate with the militia to attack and harass - is there any problem?"
Chen Chen looked at the officer who had been scolded by Isam before. The latter nodded solemnly and replied:
"no problem!"
"That's good."
Chen Chen pondered for a moment and continued:
"The combat tasks have basically been assigned, and we still need to allocate equipment."
"We don't want any T-55 or T-62 tanks. We need to gather 400 T-72 tanks in the direction of Gilis and Jarabulus, at least P-1 infantry fighting vehicles, and all BMP-2 tanks that can still be used. Infantry chariot."
"In addition, we will mobilize all ZSU-23-4 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns to the border to deal with the air strikes that the enemy will inevitably launch."
"In terms of self-propelled artillery, the existing 300 2S1 and 2S3 vehicles need to be dispersed roughly evenly in seven directions to provide necessary artillery support for the frontline battlefield without the support of artillery regiments."
"What other armored vehicles do we have?"
"There are also 30 BVP-1 and 70 AMB-S armored support vehicles. Their weapon systems are relatively backward and their transportation capabilities are not very good."
Issam replied with a frown.
"Then stay in the rear and use it for cross-regional support on the battlefields of Raqqa and Aleppo."
"Okay. We still have 5 T-90 tanks. Do we need to use them?"
"T-90?? Where did it come from?"
Chen Chen asked in surprise.
In his memory, the first time T-90 tanks appeared in Syria was in 2015, which was after Russia officially intervened in the Syrian battlefield on a large scale.
But now, Issam actually told himself that they already had T-90.
I have to say, this is a surprise.
You know, on the Syrian battlefield, the T-90 is almost the only tank that can compete with Turkey's Leopard 2-A4. Although there are not many tanks, if used properly, it may be able to achieve considerable results.
Looking at Chen Chen's expression, Isam said bluntly:
"These five tanks arrived in Syria just a few days ago. If necessary, we can deploy them to the front line within three days."
"However, Russia did not provide us with tank drivers and did not have time to conduct targeted training for us."
"I highly doubt that even if these equipment are sent to the battlefield, they will not be able to play their due role."
"really."
Chen Chen nodded slightly but did not speak immediately.
In fact, this is indeed a difficult problem to solve.
Large equipment like tanks are not like guns used by infantry. As long as the gun is easy to use and takes a while to adapt to the battlefield, it will definitely be able to play a role beyond the old level.
For a tank, if it does not have an experienced crew, even if it can go on the battlefield, it will most likely not escape the fate of being used as a target.
Thinking of this, Chen Chen shook his head and said:
"It is better not to use them for the time being, but they can be deployed near Aleppo to cooperate with the third division of the 3rd Army in a defensive battle and train the vehicle crews during the battle."
"So now, all the equipment and troops have basically been allocated. The last thing that needs to be solved is the logistics supply problem."
"Each attack group has to fight on the border for at least three consecutive weeks. In the first two weeks, it is difficult for them to obtain effective supplies from the rear."
"In other words, this is a one-shot deal."
"Once the supplies are exhausted and the supply line has not been established, our team will have no choice but to ask for help."
"General, what do you think?"
Chen Chen looked at the silent General Issam, who sat up slightly and said:
"There is no other way."
"Whether it's a final decision or a slow death depends on how the battle goes."
"I will mobilize all resources possible and deliver supplies to the front line no matter the cost."
"The supply line will be established horizontally along the line where the seven attack directions are located. This requires that each of our attack groups cannot collapse early."
"It's very difficult, but worth a try!"
"Understood. Where are the others? If you have any objections, you can raise them now!"
After Chen Chen finished speaking, the headquarters instantly became noisy.
A lot of questioning and challenging voices began to appear, but...
Everyone is just questioning, not opposing.
The discussion became heated instantly, which made Chen Chen feel relieved.
He knew that this strategy had actually been approved, and the next thing to solve was the more detailed "tactical problem".
On the other side, at the Gilis temporary airport, in the headquarters of the Sinop Armored Brigade.
The commander of the armored brigade, Yashar Gulerman, stood in front of the big screen, and the screen showed the latest movements of enemy and our forces in real time.
Looking at the red arrow that appeared in an unexpected position after refreshing, he frowned slightly, and then asked the adjutant beside him:
"The Syrian government forces are mobilizing the armored division of the 3rd Corps in Aleppo. Such a mobilization is completely unreasonable. They must have some conspiracy."
"Have you figured out their intentions?"
Hearing his words, the adjutant shook his head and replied:
"It is not clear what they are going to do, but in fact, they have not only dispatched the 3rd Corps."
"The 1st Corps and the 2nd Corps have abnormal actions, and even the Republican Guard Division is also are mobilizing. "
"In general, all their teams are moving towards the north, and it seems that they are preparing a large-scale combat operation."
"The command level of this operation must be higher than the previous offensives they launched in Aleppo and Raqqa. It should be said that they have put all the efforts of the whole country into it."
"If this round of decisive battle fails, all their armored forces will be reduced to ashes, and the northern gate will be completely opened. We can even easily cross Raqqa and Aleppo and directly attack Damascus."
"This is an opportunity--should we start early and seize the opportunity? Do it in front of them?"
". Not yet."
Yashar shook his head and explained:
"War is a serious matter. The larger the scale of the battle, the less likely it is to take shortcuts."
"The strength comparison between the enemy and us is very obvious now. We are the strong and they are the weak."
"To defeat us, they must gather at least three elements."
"First, they don't make mistakes; second, we make mistakes; third, opportunities exist objectively."
"Now, we don't know whether the opportunity exists or not, let alone whether they will make mistakes."
"But, I As long as we make sure we don't make mistakes, the weak will not defeat the strong. "
"So, there is only one thing we have to do: consolidate our own defense line and ensure the normal operation of this war machine. "
"Don't worry, they can't beat us."
"Their troops are too few and their equipment is too poor. Even if they attack with all their strength, how big a storm can they make? "
"Contact the rear and dispatch more air defense interception forces and more air reconnaissance forces to our forces-missile attacks cannot happen again. "
"Understood."
The adjutant nodded slightly, then turned and left.
Looking at the yellow sand outside the command center, Yashar's eyes changed slightly.
He had a hunch that this battle would be the last battle on the Syrian battlefield.
But how will it end?
No one knows.