Chereads / The Red Empire / Chapter 9 - Kaunas-Vilnius line

Chapter 9 - Kaunas-Vilnius line

"Calling Red Bear! Calling Red Bear! This is the 24th Training Tank Division from Riga. I am the division commander Dimitri Romanov."

"Where are our reinforcement? What is our next order?"

Romanov shouted on the radio, hoping to have some contact and order from the back.

At least he should know how is the war going on now.

"This is Red Bear...Reinforcement will .... be arrived... You will need ..... to hold Riga for ....."

The message is cut.

"I repeat, calling red bear. Calling red bear. Do you copy me?"

He was answered with silence.

"Bylat!"

He smashed the walkie-talkie on the table heavily and ordered the signal corps to continue to try to contact the army corps.

Still, zero intel was told.

He has no idea when will be the reinforcement arrive, or if will they even arrive.

Romanov raises his binoculars, looking at every position realizing more and more tanks stop firing.

Even the corpses of the goblins and orcs are everywhere, making a bunch of corpses mountain.

They are still rushing towards the position without the fear of death.

Many HMG, mortar positions are still destroyed by enemy catapults that are outside the city.

"Vasily ordered our troops and militia to fall back to underground fortification now."

"Affirmative."

Soon, more and more crew leaving from their tank and armored vehicle, holding their AK-74U.

However, many of his men do not fall back to the underground fortification successfully.

Goblins are everywhere, jumping from one roof to another.

Some even climb the walls.

Many soldiers and militias are gunned down, or their heads chopped off.

Romanov, along with his crew, ran from the command center to the underground just under the church.

The future of the army is uncertain, but there is hope shining through the darkness of the underground.

____

Kaunas and Vilnius is the second-biggest and the biggest city in Lithuania SSR.

Now, 10 pm.

More than ten hundred thousand Soviet Forces are fighting against millions of orcs here.

Many troops here are just newly arrived from Belarus, including the VDV airborne forces that were originally sent to Riga.

Different from the situation in Riga, the orcs here have no chance to get close to the city.

Even with the help of the airship.

The Soviets built a complete air defense system for the country.

Orcs airship may have taken over Riga with a surprise attack and strength in numbers, but when they were flying towards the inner land of the USSR, the ship began to lose quickly.

Yet, they may have technology similar to radar, but the Soviet anti-air missile had more than the ability they can intercept.

Making them have absolutely no way to break through the defense line.

9K34 Strela-3 man-portable air defense missile system, 9K33 Osa mobile defense system, newly developed Buk-1 with its own fire control radar even though the complete air defense system is not in service yet.

Every anti-air missile that the Soviet Forces had, was shot toward Orcs airships.

Airships that get hit, initially start with only a small fire, until it becomes bigger, making the ship become a fireball.

Then, fighter aviation in the Byelorussian military district joined the battlefield and successfully gained air supremacy.

With air supremacy, more weapons are used against the orcs.

MI-24 attack helicopters, shooting rockets and gunships toward them.

Tu series bombers start doing carpet bombing.

For the first time after the war began, ground forces organized a successful mechanized wave assault.

Self-propelled artillery, towed artillery, MLRS, all firing with full force.

Artillery fire tore apart the trees and orcs.

Destroying every single formation of them.

T-54/55, T-64 tank goes into the front, followed by BMP infantry fighting vehicle.

The Commander of the orcs wakes up from the ground, looks at what he has seen, and falls in great shock.

This was the first time he felt the power of this human empire.

He originally thought that the intensity of artillery fire outside Riga was already very powerful because it was far beyond what any human empire he knew could achieve.

However, here, the density of artillery fire is far beyond what the city of Riga can match.

"No~~~"

"My army ~~~ "

They were still here just now, holding their shields, forming a formation, and attacking the enemy's position with uniform steps.

Now, the only few things that can prove that they ever existed, were the meat on the ground, torn clothes, and stumps.

He kneeled on the ground, and feelings of self-blame and despair instantly appeared in his heart.

Now that all his subordinates have been killed, he has no shame in surviving.

He picked up his big axes from the ground and decided to commit suicide.

Aiming his neck to the axe blades.

Suddenly, before killing himself, he heard a noise, like a machine.

He raised his head, seeing a huge metal monster toward him, aiming at him with that long big black stick.

"Boom!"

A puff of smoke instantly appeared where he was

A moment later, after the smoke dissipates the commander disappears.

___

In a normal building in Vilnius, many soviet officers are coming in and out.

Colonel General Ivan Gashkov, the chief of staff of the Byelorussian military district, was appointed as the highest commander of this one-hundred thousand Soviet Forces.

Also coming with him are 28th Army from Grodno, and the 5th Tank Army from Borisov.

Remaining only the 7th Guard Tanks Army left in the Byelorussian military district.

At the moment, Gashkov has set his command post in the building, looking at the map and thinking of something.

"Comrade colonel general, our troops are moving toward the west, if everything goes well, we can reconnect Kaliningrad mostly late at tomorrow noon."

This is from the 28th Army Commander.

"Great."

After saying that he asks his adjutant,

"How about the 5th Tank Army? Is everything ok ?"

"Yes general. From the report, they mentioned that they have only very few casualties and did not meet much resistance from the orcs after we bombard them."

The adjutant point on the map,

"According to the Commander of the Army, they will move towards North along the roads at full speed, until Riga."

"If the war continues like today, they can reach Riga after 4 to 5 days."

"Besides that, they also required consistent air support and air supply, so that they can push with full speed."

Baltic state's geography is formed by swamps and woods.

Maybe it's not suitable for tanks and mechanized equipment to fight in such geography, but it will be an exception when your enemy is a bunch of orcs.

Gashkov thought for a moment and said,

"Their permission is granted, you go to contact and coordinate the air force."

"Since Tartu and Narva in Estonia are not lost yet, maybe we can collaborate with friendly forces to surround and annihilate the orcs."

"This is a great chance, I need to report it to the Army and Moscow."

"Prepare helicopters, I will need to return to Minsk and General Zaitsev."

Before Gashkov left, the radio crackled with static, and then, a voice, sharp and clear, cut through the tension.

"Comrade General, great news. We have successfully established contact with the 24th Training Tank division in Riga."

This is the voice of the signal officer and great news is reported to him.

"How are their situation now?"

"They have fallen back to the underground fortification now. General do you want to talk to them directly for more detailed information?"

"Certainly."

After a burst of hissing sound from the radio, a strange voice sounded.

"Colonel Dimitri Romanov, reporting to General Gashkov."

"Colonel Romanov, great to hear your voice."

"May I know how many of you are still able to fight, and how is the situation in Riga now?"

Just heard a sigh coming from the radio.

"Ten thousand men originally now only left with six thousand, all armored vehicles and tanks are run out of ammo."

"I also lost every single artillery, towed, self-propelled, MLRS everything."

"The only thing my troops can rely on is the ammunition that was stored in the fortification, which mostly is light weapons."

"Maybe some good news apart from my troop, there is another two thousand militia and internal forces."

"The city now has become the orcs supply base. They are sending more and more troops, weapons, to the front line."

"Even though we are still resisting, using guerilla tactics, we can only do limited damage to them."

"The orcs also set their airship repair base outside the city, we see many damaged ships landed there."

More and more intel were recorded by the adjutant.

"Roger that Colonel, your intel is useful for us, continue to fight, the 5th Tank Army is assaulting Riga. Hold for another week, and your troops will be safe."

"Affirmative."

After finishing the talk, Gashkov looks at everyone who stands in front of the map, and points to Riga.

"Riga will be our key to encircle and defeat all these orcs."

Five minutes later, he step on an MI-8 helicopter and fly to Minsk.