LITMIR.BIZ

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voice your suggestions at the meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command,” the Marshal finally turned to me. “Your assumptions about the enemy's preparations for the use of chemical weapons are still unsupported, but what you suggest could have a significant effect without any threat of a chemical attack. Nevertheless, I share your opinion on the necessity of fully strengthening the chemical protection of the troops and will insist on an immediate solution to this problem.”

* * *

      Richtengden's mood was by no means upbeat, but today at least he could report to his superiors the concrete results of the analytical work done by his group, and that reconciled the Colonel somewhat with the grim reality.

      “Herr General, permission!”

      “Come in, Colonel. How are your nerves? You won't ask to go to the front again?”

      “Thank you, that's better. Intensive work is the best cure for depression. I will still ask to go to the front, only this time not as a commander of an infantry battalion, but still in my former capacity,” Richtengden allowed himself a slight smile.

      “Yes, now I see you're really all right,” grinned the General, “I'm listening to you, Colonel.”

      “By now we have accumulated a considerable amount of data on the actions of the Russian marksman in various circumstances, and this allows us to determine the limits of his capabilities with sufficient accuracy.”

      “So are we talking about one marksman or several shooters?” The General interrupted his subordinate.

      “One marksman. Just one marksman so far. A more detailed analysis of the damage sustained by our planes showed that the second sniper was clearly no match for Nagulin. He may be a pretty capable student, but he doesn't compare to the marksman himself. Based on the rate of fire of the Panzerbüchse-38 and the testimony of the survivors of the battle, it can be concluded that during the battle the second sniper fired about 40 shots, allowing at least 80 percent of misses. Given the complexity of the targets, it is an excellent result, but no more than that. Nothing supernatural. Nagulin would hit 30 times out of 40.”

      “That's a relief,” the General nodded. “Carry on.”

      “So, let us return to the possibilities of the marksman. We have come to the conclusion that, for all their unusualness, they do have clear boundaries. Practice has shown that the marksman, armed with a large-caliber automatic weapon, can confidently withstand an attack by five or six planes, and only in the situation when they attack other targets than himself. If there are more planes, the objects defended by the marksman begin to take casualties. The marksman was unable to thwart the simultaneous bombing of 20 Ju-87s, even despite the support of a second sniper. The bombers managed to make two approaches and inflicted substantial damage on the enemy infantry. I think if they had attacked not the Russian trenches, but Nagulin himself, the result would have been very sad for him.”

      “At last I hear something encouraging,” said the General, strolling leisurely through the office.

      “That's not all. Three times the marksman led the actions of the night bombers. In the Kremenchuk area he did it from the ground, and then he twice controlled groups of ten TB-7s and Yer-2s at Kiev and Vyazma. Ten planes is his limit. He can, of course, assemble a larger group, but he cannot manage them effectively. His groups suffered significant losses on both occasions, even when there were only ten wingmen.”

      “They were justified losses,” objected the General. “The result achieved by the Russians at both Kiev and Vyazma could not be compared with the loss of several heavy bombers.”

      “No doubt,” Richtengden didn't argue, “but that's not the point. The main conclusion from what has been said is that, while betting on the latest achievements of our engineers, we have missed one simple but important nuance – the Russian successfully fights single targets and is not bad against several opponents, even if they are our latest developments, but he simply does not have time to be effective against a large number of conventional planes like the Ju 87.”

      “Are you suggesting to pelt Nagulin with corpses, Colonel?” asked the General with doubt in his voice. It was clear that he was thinking hard about the information he had received, but had not yet come to any definite conclusions.

      “To be perfectly cynical, one could say that,” Richtengden shrugged. “Casualties will inevitably be high, but it is not so easy to destroy such an unusual enemy.”

      “Then what is your idea?”

      “The marksman has been practically inactive at the front for a week now. I think the Russians are preparing something. Herr General, what do you think is our most vulnerable point right now, a strike on which could significantly disrupt all of our plans?”

      “The air bridge created by the Luftwaffe to supply troops caught in the Moscow Pocket,” the General answered without hesitation. “Reichsmarshal Göring was able to surpass himself. Our troops in the south and near Leningrad groan from the lack of effective air support, but more than a thousand transport planes under dense fighter cover uninterruptedly deliver supplies to the encircled troops, and Russian aviation can do nothing about it, although there have been attempts. Fortunately, they were unsuccessful. The enemy had lost too many planes, supporting his tank offensive at Vyazma, and had simply run out of steam.”

      “I have come to a similar conclusion, Herr General,” Richtengden nodded. “I think this is where we should expect another attack of the marksman. Except that he prefers to fly out at night, and the air bridge operates during the day.”

      “Night strikes on airfields are possible. This has already happened in Nagulin's practice.”

      “We're ready for this kind of development,” the Colonel objected, “The airfields of transport planes are well protected, and the planes themselves are dispersed and thoroughly camouflaged at night.”

      “And how do you think Nagulin will act?”

      “I think he's going to control the fire from the ground. The Russian 85 mm anti-aircraft 52-k guns can fire at aerial targets at altitudes up to ten kilometers, while our Junkers transport planes do not go above six kilometers. In addition, Heinkel He-111 bombers involved in cargo transports have a practical ceiling of 8,000 meters. At these heights the Russian anti-aircraft gunners rarely manage to hit our planes, but if the marksman takes over…”

      “Okay, let's say that's the case. What's next?”

      “And then everything is simple enough. As soon as any of our groups of transport planes come under abnormally accurate fire from the ground, we will know exactly where the marksman is at the moment. One of our cover fighters will immediately signal the air strike group, which we will have to prepare urgently and keep in constant readiness for departure. As soon as its commander receives the signal, he will lift his machines into the sky and strike at the position of the Russian anti-aircraft guns controlled by Nagulin.”

      “The marksman will surely be well protected,” objected the General. “I think at the first sign of an air attack, he will immediately take cover in some secure shelter. I'm sure the Russians will try to build a dugout for him that can only be destroyed by a direct hit from a heavy bomb. And there is also the option of controlling fire by radio, as he has done repeatedly.”

      “Anti-aircraft fire requires an immediate response to aircraft maneuvers. There will inevitably be delays when using a radio, and firing efficiency will drop dramatically. I'm sure the marksman will take the place of the gunner in one of the anti-aircraft guns or lead the crew of the anti-aircraft battery fire control unit. Besides, I don't think Nagulin will run to the dugout if we attack,” Richtengden grinned. “Even though he is an Untermensch, he never once gave us a reason to doubt his courage. He will not abandon his comrades and will try to repel the raid. But even if he is ordered and forcibly evacuated to a dugout, we have a means of making sure he does not leave this position alive.”

      “Is this some kind of novelty again?”

      “Naturally. It would be too presumptuous to count on the guaranteed destruction of the marksman without such surprises. Three

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