As dawn broke over the Susangerd Swamp, a new day arrived.
Since they were on a defensive mission, their objective was achieved as long as they kept the enemy's armored division trapped in the swamp. Consequently, last night, the mechanized infantry battalion of the Thirty-Fifth Brigade had begun frantically constructing fortifications, digging countless foxholes.
After yesterday afternoon's battle, half of their main battle tanks, the T-62s, had been depleted, yet the enemy still possessed a formidable assault force. Therefore, Muhammad changed his tactics. In today's fight, the tanks would lead the charge with armored vehicles following behind. Once the tanks were exhausted, they would have to rely on the infantry inside the armored vehicles to stop the enemy's advance using rocket launchers and anti-tank mines.
If the battle truly reached that point, the Thirty-Fifth Brigade might very well be buried here. Fortunately, that was only the worst-case scenario.
The Military District Headquarters had already sent notice that their brothers from the Air Force would arrive today to support them. They would likely only need to stand by and watch the Air Force annihilate the enemy; their task would be to move in and take prisoners.
Inside his armored command vehicle, Muhammad was gnawing on his field rations when he suddenly heard a whistling sound streaking across the sky.
Muhammad's expression suddenly turned grim. He recognized it—that was the sound of large-caliber howitzers firing!
The enemy was an armored division, so they would naturally be equipped with a divisional artillery battalion. How could he have forgotten such a vital piece of common sense?
"Quick, notify all armored vehicles to disperse and take cover! As soon as the shelling stops, the enemy will be upon us!" Muhammad told the signalman beside him.
Instantly, radio waves flew across the entire armored brigade.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" At that moment, the first round of shells exploded nearby. Fortunately, this first round was just a test fire for the enemy, landing far from them. However, the second round would be highly accurate.
The various armored vehicles started up, and soldiers quickly ran into them, preparing to relocate.
Large-caliber howitzer fire was an absolutely devastating weapon for ordinary infantry. However, for t－62s protected by armor, its power was minimal. As long as it wasn't a direct hit, the shockwave would struggle to pose a threat to the T-62. It had some impact on armored vehicles, but as long as they dispersed, the enemy's bombardment effect would be significantly reduced.
"Second Company, Third Company, search forward! Watch out for small groups of Persian scouts," Muhammad ordered over the radio.
When using artillery fire, even if the firing coordinates are predetermined, personnel are needed to evaluate whether the fire is meeting requirements, how to adjust the firing bearings, and ensure the best results. Therefore, they would certainly send out small groups of scouts to visually observe the results of the shelling, report back to the gunners, and readjust.
The chances of such personnel dying were very high because the unit being shelled would definitely hunt down those who posed such a great threat to them.
If they were unlucky, there was also the possibility of being hit by their own artillery fire.
This was why, in later generations, drones would be used more professionally to replace this dangerous task.
'Where are our planes? Why aren't they here yet?' Muhammad was somewhat anxious. Clearly, with the enemy's artillery fire being so intense, once the bombardment ended, they would come down on them like a mountain, and he wouldn't be able to hold out.
Thirteen kilometers away.
Dozens of m109a1s were frantically venting their fury.
"Boom!" Amidst the earth-shattering roar, the gun barrel recoiled violently. Then, white smoke billowed from the muzzle, and from within the slowly dispersing white smoke, a black projectile streaked out.
In yesterday's battle, these howitzers hadn't played their part due to a lack of ammunition. Today, they could finally hold their heads high.
They had originally planned to launch an attack during the night after finishing resupply, but the first wave of helicopters only provided half the supplies, which wasn't enough to deliver maximum lethality. They had to wait for the second batch. Unexpectedly, the sky grew even darker in the latter half of the night, and the ch－47s could not risk taking off. They had to wait until just before dawn to conduct the second resupply.
Once resupply was complete, Rajavi immediately ordered the troops to attack.
The first to be used was the divisional artillery battalion.
The M109A1 self-propelled howitzer was a large 155mm caliber howitzer. These shells were immensely powerful when fired. To prevent the massive recoil from sinking the tracks into the mud, the areas beneath both sides of the tracks had been filled with stones before firing. Otherwise, after firing the shells, it would be tragic if the self-propelled howitzer couldn't move.
The side doors of the turret and the rear doors of the hull were all open. Because the high chamber pressure during firing would cause sudden changes in air pressure inside the vehicle, not opening the doors would cause significant harm to the gunners inside.
With every shot, the voice of the scouts would come over the radio, allowing them to adjust the firing coordinates and improve accuracy.
Ali's tank was at the very front, its turret constantly rotating as it vigilantly scanned the surroundings. He had to find the enemy's artillery observation scouts!
'Damned Persian cowards, come at us directly if you have the guts!' Ali cursed inwardly while looking at the surrounding swamp through his periscope. Whenever he saw a suspicious spot, he would fire a burst of machine-gun bullets.
After yesterday's battle, his company had only six tanks left, but the soldiers' morale remained high. Their greatest wish today was to take out a few more Chieftains! Especially like yesterday, hitting Chieftains that were stuck in the mud and unable to move.
But today, they were being shelled before they even saw the enemy. Although they were safe inside the tanks as long as it wasn't a direct hit, it was still enough to make one's blood boil.
The Type 63 Armored Vehicles in the rear were not so lucky; four or five were destroyed, and over a hundred brothers received the call of the Reaper.
After ten volleys, Rajavi ordered four armored battalions to charge forward together.
The Chieftain was a powerful offensive weapon. Today, they would surely break through the enemy's blockade, fight their way out of the swamp, and reach the Karun River!
On Allad's sights, rows of antennas suddenly appeared.
"The Chieftains are coming!" Allad shouted, beginning to aim.
At the same time, the loader jammed an Armor-Piercing Shell into the breech. In the next moment, they would be in close-quarters combat.
allah bless the invincible Iraqi armored brigade!
In Allad's sights, the silhouette of the Chieftain grew larger and larger as the distance closed.
"All armored forces of the Thirty-Fifth Brigade, retreat immediately." Suddenly, an order came over the radio.
What? Are they giving up the defense? They were just about to engage! Allad was somewhat puzzled.
A soldier's duty is to obey orders. The driver immediately hit the brakes, shifted into reverse, and began to back away.
There was an art to retreating. If they turned around to retreat, they would expose their thinnest rear armor to the Iranians. Having an Armor-Piercing Shell drill into your rear was never a good thing.
Therefore, if one decided to withdraw just as combat was about to begin, there was only one choice: shift into reverse and back up directly!
However, tanks are not like ordinary cars; they don't have rearview mirrors, let alone advanced visual reversing sensors. A tank's forward visibility is poor enough, and reversing is even more troublesome. The driver simply floors the gas and reverses; what they might hit is entirely up to luck.
Allad opened the hatch and poked his head out, prepared to provide guidance to the driver.
As soon as he looked up, he saw a fleet of planes flying in. Their brothers from the Air Force had arrived!