Chapter 82

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Below the valley, there was a road. Before the Afghan War, this place was a famous tourist destination in Afghanistan. The road was lined with a babbling stream, and on both sides were high mountains, covered in green, with fresh air.

But now, the road was full of potholes. The Afghan guerrillas constantly attacked the Soviet transport units, and some abandoned trucks lay on one side of the road. When the Soviet tanks entered this area, the soldiers were filled with a sense of anger.

Afghanistan is mountainous. Transporting supplies from Tajikistan in the north had to pass through this route, which was also the death road for Soviet transport units. Many soldiers in transport units had been killed on this road.

Those damn Afghan guerrillas! Seeing this scene, the tank battalion soldiers were filled with a burning desire for revenge. They wanted to find the guerrillas and crush them into meat paste!

The tanks rumbled forward, forming a winding line in the mountains. The road was narrow, and the tank units could not fully utilize their advantages. On the contrary, they were very vulnerable to attacks from both sides.

On one slope, Masood quietly observed the approaching Soviet armored units through a telescope. This vanguard unit was very aggressive and had no infantry protection, making them the best targets.

"Prepare RPGs," Masood said softly.

Just as Masood finished speaking, Faisal quietly crawled to his side and said, "Captain, Muhammad suggests we let the Soviets advance deeper into the valley before attacking."

Let them advance? Masood looked at the Soviet tank units. This was the best time to attack, and he had already planned the retreat route. He decided to take out a few tanks first!

What right did Muhammad have to interfere with his command? Yesterday, he did indeed make a great contribution by raiding Gulbaha, but he had never fought here and did not understand the terrain.

Thinking about this, Masood said, "Continue the attack!"

Dozens of guerrillas carrying RPGs quietly approached the road along the winding slope. The RPG has a range of one kilometer, but it loses accuracy beyond 300 meters. They had to get closer to take out the Soviet tanks.

A tank battalion, with over fifty tanks, was still moving on the mountain road, completely unaware that the Afghan guerrillas were about to launch an attack.

On the other slope, Muhammad, who had planned to retreat, saw the guerrillas quietly entering the attack positions and his face changed.

Looking for death!

The road here was narrow, and the Soviet tanks could not form an effective defense. Attacking here might yield some results, but the mountains on both sides were not very high, and the gap between them was wide, providing a clear view. This meant that once a battle started, Soviet helicopters would quickly arrive. They could easily cover the area with rockets from the valley.

Seeing Masood's guerrillas begin to move, Muhammad quickly assessed the terrain and indicated positions to his guerrillas.

Herman and others immediately carried Stinger missiles and ran to the high mountain. If Soviet helicopters came, they would definitely pass by them.

The T-62 tanks continued to advance, their tracks churning up dust.

The turrets constantly turned left and right, aiming at the mountains on both sides, but the barrels were not high enough.

Volkovski looked at the high mountains on both sides and suddenly shouted over the radio, "Loader, use the machine gun to sweep both sides."

The terrain was complex, and as they continued deeper into the mountains, Volkovski's vigilance increased.

The barrels could not be raised that high, but the heavy machine gun on the loader's side of the turret was just the right height.

Hearing Volkovski's order, the loader climbed out of his position, opened the hatch, and formed a shield in front. He then began to operate the heavy machine gun.

The rumbling of the tank made the loader feel uncomfortable. Coming out to feel the mountain breeze was refreshing. With a whoosh, the bullets were loaded, and the loader had not yet aimed at the slope when he suddenly saw movement on the side.

Afghan guerrillas! Seeing them with RPGs, the loader shouted and leveled the heavy machine gun, firing at the guerrillas.

"Cover!" Masood shouted. With his command, the guerrillas hiding on the slope opened fire.

"Bang." A bullet from Faisal's AEF rifle hit a tank soldier in the head. The soldier had just pulled the trigger but had not fired before falling onto the machine gun.

"Whoosh." A rocket propelled grenade (RPG) flew towards a tank, grazing the back of the turret and exploding harmlessly a few hundred meters away.

The guerrillas carrying RPGs kept coming, but before they could complete their shots, they were hit by Soviet tank fire. The difference in victory was just a few seconds.

Only one tank was hit and caught fire. The guerrillas who had fired their RPGs found their retreat route completely blocked by machine gun fire. They hid behind rocks, unable to move, and faced the danger of being completely wiped out.

"We have to save these brothers," Muhammad said.

The people on the opposite side were divided into two groups. The guerrillas below, who had used RPGs to ambush, were pinned down in the valley, unable to move. The guerrillas on the slope above wanted to come down to save them but were deterred by the Soviet heavy machine gun fire. A few who tried to run down were cut into pieces by 127mm bullets.

If the Soviets had infantry following, they could have flanked and surrounded these guerrillas, trapping them.

But now, the Soviets' attention was on the opposite slope, and Muhammad's side had not yet reacted.

"How do we save them?" Khwaja asked Muhammad.

How to save them? Muhammad gritted his teeth and said, "Attract the Soviet fire."

The tank machine guns were suppressing the guerrillas on the opposite slope. If they did not attract the Soviet fire, the ambushing guerrillas would definitely be eliminated. Attracting the Soviet fire meant they would face significant pressure.

There was no other choice now.

"Understood." Khwaja crouched behind a rock and steadily raised his SVD sniper rifle.

"Bang." With the sound of the shot, a 7.62mm high-precision sniper bullet flew over, affected by the crosswind, but it hit a loader's back perfectly.

The front shield only protected the front half of the body, leaving the back exposed.

Khwaja kept the crosshairs of his scope on the tanks, aiming and firing, not even waiting to see the results.

At the same time, other guerrillas were preparing. They lay on the slope, fully focused, with their equipment beside them.

Sturdy tripods, long cylinders, and slightly larger aiming devices—these were the American-supplied TOW missiles.

RPGs could only attack from 300 meters, putting Masood's guerrillas in danger, while Muhammad's men using TOW missiles had a range of over 3,000 meters.

Their position was very safe.

An infrared beam illuminated the target tank. From now on, they had to keep the infrared beam on the tank without any deviation.

"Boom." With the press of a button, a flame shot out from the back of the cylinder, and a thick, long missile emerged. As it came out, four folding wings unfolded, and a cable trailed from the tail, propelling it forward quickly.

The mountain road was rugged, and Muhammad only brought five TOW missiles. Now, the five shooters fired their missiles one after another.

The missiles flew quickly, receiving the infrared laser beam and commands through the cable, adjusting their course.

"Boom, boom, boom." The engines roared. When the Soviet tank soldiers saw the missiles flying from the opposite slope, they were no longer calm.

How did the Afghan guerrillas get anti-tank missiles? No one answered their question. What they needed now was to avoid these missiles!

Start moving as quickly as possible. When the missiles approached, brake quickly. Only this way could they possibly avoid the missiles!

The crisscrossing machine gun fire stopped, and each tank moved quickly. It was unknown which tank the incoming missiles were targeting.

Feeling the pressure lessen, the guerrillas carrying RPGs poked their heads out from behind the rocks.

Those who had already fired their rockets, with only the launchers left, quickly ran back. Those who had not yet fired continued to bravely carry their RPGs towards the tanks.

The TOW missiles flew quickly, and the entire tank convoy moved rapidly, black smoke billowing from the sides. The valley was filled with the strong smell of diesel.

The black smoke also obscured the missiles' view. Seeing the valley gradually covered in black smoke, Muhammad felt a growing anxiety. Now, he could only trust his trained soldiers to operate the advanced TOW missiles effectively.

The infrared beam penetrated the black smoke and continued to hit the tanks. The warhead of the TOW missile was about to penetrate the armor of the T-62 tank.

...

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