Chapter Seven: Rescue
"Rumble, rumble." In the sky, the sound of a propeller cutting through the air could be heard.
With this sound, two large helicopters flew over in the sky 800 meters away, with a distance of one kilometer between them.
The top is a huge five-leaf spiral propeller, stirring the air and making a loud noise. The two bubble-shaped cabins in front are arranged high and low, and behind them is a wide cabin, like a pregnant doe. Therefore, this helicopter is also nicknamed "Doe" by NATO.
But if you think of this helicopter as a gentle doe, you are greatly mistaken. Not to mention the machine gun under the head, which can harvest lives at any time, just looking at the rocket nests on both sides of the short wings is enough to make people fearful. Those large-caliber rockets can cover everything on the ground and turn it into ashes at any time.
Mi-24 helicopters have been very active on the battlefield in Afghanistan, although they suffered heavy losses due to mechanical failures at first. However, the Mil design bureau has since improved the Mi-24, increasing engine power and stability during wild maneuvers by pilots. As pilots became more familiar with combat operations, their level of control over the aircraft has continued to improve.
"Note that we are approaching the designated airspace, descend to a lower altitude and look for our tanks," said Colonel Ivanov from inside the helicopter in front.
His words were simultaneously transmitted to the copilot and the passengers in the back.
Upon hearing his words, the two infantrymen inside the doe's large belly also directed their gaze downward.
After more than two years of fighting, the Soviet troops stationed in Afghanistan had formed a reconnaissance company in almost every regiment, consisting of the most outstanding soldiers who undertook the most arduous tasks.
This time it was the same, the two reconnaissance soldiers from these two classes would go to rescue their own tank regiment that had been ambushed, carrying two helicopters, they were very confident, as long as they got there, maybe the Afghan guerrillas had already run away.
Even so, they still cast their eyes to both sides, entering the mountainous area. At this time, the helicopter's altitude was lowered, and various unexpected situations could be encountered at any time.
In front of us is the valley mentioned in the intelligence report.
The helicopter flew past, far away, Ivanov saw two tanks hit on one side of the valley.
"Target in sight, five hundred meters ahead, 02, be on guard." Ivanov shouted over the radio.
Two helicopters, while in action, cover each other. Now they have discovered their own tanks. Ivanov's helicopter needs to land on an open area and drop off the reconnaissance team for a search. This process is the most dangerous during takeoff and landing.
So, the helicopter behind needs to gain some altitude and be on high alert for its surroundings.
It flew low and made a circle, in front of it was a large empty space.
No Afghan guerrillas have been found yet.
Ivanov gently lowered the collective pitch with his left hand and grasped the cyclic stick with his right, and the helicopter descended slowly like a gentle doe, its rotor blowing the surrounding sand into all directions.
The landing gear slowly extended, then the tires touched the ground, the hydraulic shock absorbers retracted a segment, and the entire fuselage shook once before finally coming to a stop.
The hatch opened and Shi Luoan, the leader of the first reconnaissance class, jumped down first.
Following him, one person jumped down, and two people formed a fan-shaped defense. The several warriors behind also followed down.
Having dropped off the scouts, the helicopter took off again. At this time, another helicopter came down and dropped off the soldiers, while Ivanov's helicopter provided cover.
Xie Luoan looked at everyone in the infantry class coming down, immediately waved his hand, dispersed, and slowly walked towards the two scrapped tanks on their side.
They rushed up like a swarm of bees, which was the stupidest thing to do. If there was an Afghan inside the tank who wasn't afraid to die, one burst of gunfire would be enough to take them down.
Slowly, they get closer and closer. As long as someone attacks them, the helicopters above their heads can provide support in the first place, so even if they are careful, they don't have to worry too much.
"Squad leader, there are two people up ahead, sitting together, very close to the tank." At this time, a scout in front said, he had already seen it clearly.
"Are you an Afghan?" Sherwood asked.
"No, it's our people," said the scout.
Sitting together, aren't you dead yet? Shi Luo An took out a telescope, and just now the sunlight was too dazzling, so she didn't see clearly.
He brought the binoculars up to his eyes and suddenly he saw very clearly that they were two tank soldiers, but there were also two corpses in the distance.
This should be a tank formation.
"Watch out, there's a landmine underfoot," Sheloran said.
If these two were unharmed, it was very likely a trap. So the closer they got, the more cautious Xie Luoan became.
"Hey, shorty, are you guys still alive?" someone shouted from far away.
Although modern tanks are much more spacious than those in World War II, the space inside is still cramped. Therefore, one of the most important conditions for being a tank soldier is height.
Markov knew that the man's shouting was actually harmless, but now in this situation, he didn't have the mood to joke around.
"We're all still alive, but just barely," Markov said. "The Afghan guerrillas were here an hour ago, you arrived too quickly."
Hearing this, Xie Luoan boldly walked up and said: "Shorty, are there just the two of you here? Where are the others?"
"We had two tanks destroyed, four retreated safely, one was hit by an RPG and the people inside didn't come out. Our vehicle broke down mechanically, overturned. We crawled out, but then the commander and gunner were both killed by guerrillas." Markov said, his throat very dry, every word feeling like torture to his throat.
"So why didn't the guerrillas kill you two?" Shi Luo'an asked: "Those Afghan guerrillas, when they capture prisoners, often flay them alive."
There are many legends about the guerrillas. For Soviet soldiers, the guerrillas were like devils, and if they were caught by them, being able to die quickly was a kind of luck.
So, seeing the two of them next to the tank, they must have encountered a guerrilla squad. Fortunately, they're still in one piece, with no missing parts on their bodies. Shi Luo An was quite curious.
"Our backsides are going to explode at any moment, we haven't dared move for over an hour. Luckily you've finally arrived." Markov licked his dry, cracked lips as he spoke.
Was he being taken as a sly trickster? Hearing this, Xie Luo An became cautious.
On the battlefield, if you're not careful, you'll sacrifice at any time. This point, everyone has psychological preparation. However, in many cases, it was the Soviets who laid down treacherous landmines, such as in abandoned tanks and on discarded weapons. If the Afghan guerrillas saw them, they would definitely go to pick them up, and as soon as they touched them, they would explode.
Now, the two tank soldiers on our side were used as human mines. This is the first time that living people have been used as human mines, and what's more, they weren't even behind enemy lines. They knew that if they moved at all, they would explode.
It seems that the Afghan guerrillas are really stupid. Shailoan asked: "What's under your butt?"
If it's a pressure-activated landmine, it's still quite troublesome. Once pressed, as soon as you relax, it will explode. If that's really the case, they won't have any way to deal with it either.
However, I have never heard that Afghan guerrillas had landmines in their hands. It would be good if they had outdated AKMs in their hands.
"When that damned partisan walked away, he said we were sitting on a pressure mine, but I think, for a long time, we've been sitting on the safety pin of a hand grenade," Illich said.
Sat on a hand grenade? Shalyapin calmly pulled out a pack of Pamir cigarettes from his pocket.
Lit it up, took a puff and then stuffed it into Markov's mouth.
Markov looked at Shelov with gratitude, took two deep breaths, and then clutched his hand.
Sherlov lit another one and handed it to Ilyich.
Ilyich shook his head: "I don't smoke."
On the battlefield, smoking is strictly prohibited, as it can reveal one's position and may even cause accidental fires. However, once on the battlefield, smoking has become a way for soldiers to relieve stress.
Now, Shalyov is also like this, wanting to save these two unlucky tank soldiers, they need to calm down first.
"Your company commander has abandoned you like this and doesn't even come to rescue you?" Shellov asked.
The battle report received was that there were a large number of Afghan guerrillas, and our tank troops were in great danger, so they rushed out urgently. It wasn't until we arrived here that we found out the tank troops had already withdrawn, leaving behind these two soldiers who were toyed with by the Afghan guerrillas.
The commander of that tank company seems to be in trouble now.
Lian Chang, thinking of Lian Chang, these two people also don't know what to say. At the time, it seemed like Lian Chang didn't do anything wrong, but now that I think about it, actually, based on what I saw at the time, in that guerrilla team of dozens of people, it seems like only two people were carrying rocket launchers.
"Never mind, this is Jalalabad's business," said Sheraly. "First I'll take out the things from under your backsides."
"Sergeant, let me go!" said a soldier from behind. Except for the treacherous landmine, it was indeed dangerous. He rushed forward at this time because the sergeant had saved his life before.
"Miro, back off, that's an order." Shelov ignored Miro and looked around: "All of you get behind that big rock, no peeking allowed."
Although Shalyapin was very confident, excluding the treacherous terrain, it was still extremely dangerous. To prevent himself from encountering an accident, he had to let others reach a safe place first.
Sherlov didn't know that the place he sent others to was actually the most dangerous one. He wasn't facing local Afghan guerrillas, but rather opponents from another world who had undergone rigorous special forces training and had fought countless battles. The trap set by Muhammad would not just be a simple trick of using a hand grenade as a pressure plate to scare people.
