Chapter 378 Reorganization

Deep down, Andre was still somewhat uneasy at the thought of entering Iran and occupying the territory in central Iran, because the terrain there was mainly mountainous!

If the Iranians developed into guerrillas and harassed everywhere, there would be no peace for them! Under their own promotion, the Soviet leaders had already shifted their attention away from Afghanistan and were no longer interested in that barren land. They originally wanted a springboard to the south. From any perspective, Iran was much better than Afghanistan.

However, if a war like the one in Afghanistan happened in Iran, with numerous guerrillas constantly attacking Iran, it can be said that Iran may not be able to gain a foothold in Iran, just like Afghanistan, and will eventually have to come out in disgrace! You know, the extremists in Iran are a hundred times stronger than those guys in Afghanistan!

Preparations must begin now, especially with special reinforcements for mountain warfare.

Looking at China's war against Vietnam, the preparation was actually not sufficient at all. Many soldiers were thrown into the battlefield without much training, which resulted in heavy casualties. This is a bloody lesson!

We can't do this. We must be absolutely accurate and make sure everything is done, especially when training our soldiers for mountain warfare!

"Yes! All the officers and soldiers of our division are united and working hard, looking forward to a great effort," said Colonel Choibalsan.

"I have applied to my superiors. The 149th Infantry Division will undergo another equipment replacement. The T-62 tanks will be eliminated and replaced with new T-72 tanks. However, the organization will be compressed from a tank regiment to a tank battalion, and the rest will be replaced with BTR-70 infantry fighting vehicles." Andre said.

In the Soviet Union, infantry divisions were not just infantry, they still had tank soldiers. Generally speaking, a motorized infantry division had three tank battalions and a motorized infantry company under its tank regiment. A motorized infantry division had a tank battalion with 40 tanks, plus three BMP/BTR motorized infantry battalions. The division's independent reconnaissance battalion had six tanks, a company of BMPs, and a small number of wheeled armored vehicles. In this way, a motorized infantry division had six tank battalions, and 40*3+94P was nine battalions plus two companies.

A motorized infantry division has more than 200 tanks! This thing is absolutely amazing! And now, Andre has improved them. Anyway, those T-62 tanks should be eliminated and replaced with new T-72 tanks. However, the T-72 tanks are only given the standard of a tank battalion, and the rest are all replaced by BTR infantry fighting vehicles.

Hearing this, Colonel Choibalsan was stunned for a moment. In this way, wouldn't the combat effectiveness of his infantry division be reduced by more than half? What can BTR, that kind of wheeled infantry fighting vehicle, do?

Andrei had been thinking about this idea for a long time. Much of Iran's terrain is similar to that of Afghanistan. In this terrain, the effectiveness of tanks will be greatly reduced. The tank gun has a small elevation angle and cannot fire at the armed personnel hiding on the top of the mountain, while the enemy can be in a dominant position and strike the tank's weakest point.

In the early days, the Soviet army did send tanks to Afghanistan, but in the later days, those tanks were taken back and replaced with infantry fighting vehicles. This can also greatly reduce fuel consumption. You know, the fuel consumption of a tank is equivalent to that of five infantry fighting vehicles!

Mountain infantry, naturally, must be lightly equipped! Wheeled infantry fighting vehicles are the best choice! In Mongolia, the mission of the 149th Division is to move a rolling armored torrent through the Mongolian grasslands and into China if necessary. The original organization is the most suitable. Now, to fight Iran, it is necessary to reorganize the organization and use infantry fighting vehicles to replace tanks. Moreover, the turret of the BTR is equipped with a large-caliber anti-aircraft machine gun, which can fire horizontally or high, and is a very effective weapon.

"In this way, the combat effectiveness of our army cannot be guaranteed, General Andrei." Choibalsan said to Andrei. Tanks are the favorite thing of every army commander.

"This is the opinion of the military district. It has been reported to Moscow and approved." Andrei said: "What the 149th Infantry Division needs is execution."

"Yes." After saluting to Andre, Choibalsan's face looked uglier than crying.

Andrei felt amused in his heart, and he continued, "At the same time, the 149th Infantry Division will also increase the establishment of armed helicopters and add an aviation regiment, which will be equipped with about 40 Mi-24 armed helicopters."

Cut off a tank regiment and give yourself an aviation regiment! Hearing this, Choibalsan suddenly became excited again.

Army Aviation Regiment! Forty Mi-24 armed helicopters! With these armed helicopters, our motorized infantry division can fly! Armed helicopters are the natural enemy of tanks. With them, they are more powerful than tanks!

"Yes, we will definitely go all out to complete the reorganization of the 149th Division!"

Of course he was happy. In the Soviet Union, armed helicopters were organized separately, and were even incorporated into the Air Force. But now, at Andrei's suggestion, they were incorporated into the Army. Choibalsan's face was beaming, his eyes full of fiery passion, as if he would come up and kiss Andrei at any time.

Andrei, who came from later generations, certainly knew what it meant to equip ground forces with armed helicopters. For mountain warfare, armed helicopters were the most effective. They would directly provide strike force and air cover, and effectively hunt down guerrillas who attempted to escape by taking advantage of the complex terrain of the mountains.

This was finally decided under Andrei's leadership. It is the first experimental force in the Turkestan Military District.

"There are also some new digital equipment, such as information communication between ground and air forces, which allows ground forces to call air command at any time and indicate targets for the air, etc." Andre said: "In short, the 149th Infantry Division has a heavy responsibility and shoulders the heavy task of reforming our army." Andre said: "Use half a year to turn the 149th Infantry Division into a powerful force!"

"Yes!" Colonel Choibalsan stood at attention and saluted Andrei.

Watching Choibalsan leave, Andrei breathed a sigh of relief. Under his leadership, the Soviet army also began to reform. In Western Europe, large-scale mechanized troops were the magic weapon to flatten Western Europe, but in Iran and the Middle East, a change was necessary.

At the same time, the experiments of digitalized troops are also advancing continuously. With the technology from the island countries, digitalized and informationized equipment are also being developed successfully. In addition to the Moscow Military District, the 149th Infantry Division is also one of the first users.