The officers and men of the German 722nd Division stationed in the city of Gomel were not just taking money to buy beer and drink. Many of these young warriors were not married, and thus left a lot of debts in the occupied territories.

These Wehrmacht soldiers did not fully follow Goebel's propaganda, so it was normal for them to have emotional relationships with women in the occupied territories.

This situation had already attracted the attention of Hitler and Himmler, and Fengyue places for the recreation of soldiers in the occupied areas were established and gradually institutionalized. It's just that the occupied zone is so big that there are not enough "patriotic German women" who are willing to sacrifice themselves with German men, and instead it is the occupation army's arrests everywhere that serve as a tool for venting.

Lawrence's promise invigorated his men, and these "loaches" who had been on the front line for two months needed to vent their long-standing pressure.

The road from Gomel to the aviation brigade is usually very large, because the road here is deliberately smoothed. Lawrence finally arrived at his final destination at around five o'clock in the afternoon.

On the other hand, Koch had already received a call from the 707 Division, the content of which made him very curious. Herzman had informed him that his troops had spotted the strange rocket that had fallen and believed it to be a meteorological weapon of the Russians.

"Weather weapons? Is it the imagination of the Russians? Or is this old friend of mine imaginative?! ”

Koch put down the phone, since they would send someone to bring the so-called "rain rockets", they would have to study it themselves. He believes that it is indeed necessary to pay attention to this matter, because the rain that has lasted for many days has had a very serious impact on the entire aviation group.

In this era, many field airfields were not paved with cement. In addition, the requirements for airport runways are not particularly strict for all types of aircraft in this era.

When building the airport, it basically relied on ground sappers, driving road rollers to tamp the land, or simply manpower to tamp the land. Such an airfield can meet the needs of dive bombers, which is equivalent to meeting the needs of the entire Koch aviation group.

Such airfields are also resistant to enemy air forces, and even if their aerial bombs blow up the shells and backfill the soil, the runway will be restored.

As for the worst enemy, it's the damn rain! The short period of rain doesn't cause much trouble, but the rain lasts for many days, and parts of the tamped runway have become quagmire, and even if the rain is clear, it is unrealistic to expect the runway to dry quickly in a still wet world.

Bad weather caused the Koch Air Brigade to lie on its stomach as a whole.

What's worse is that the aviation power he has at hand now has been severely reduced!

It all stems from the big battle unfolding in the Kharkiv direction!

The Germans began a large-scale counteroffensive, Operation Friedkus was largely successful, and the Germans were preparing for a new round of strategic offensives. Therefore, they have to use the killer blitzkrieg again, and the first thing to do is to hit the tanks and planes in the rear to the front line.

So, as soon as a light rain began to fall, all the dive bombers of the Koch Air Group, and half of the fighters, together with their pilots, and some of the ground crews, were ordered to be incorporated into the southern forces.

In Koch's view, this scheduling of personnel is partly a relentless fighting effort, and on the other hand, an expression of dissatisfaction from his superiors with his previous air strikes.

After all, the destruction of six planes before and after the entire operation was a loss caused by the operation against the guerrillas, and whatever his reasons were, it was difficult for his superiors to accept.

Koch had no choice but to accept his fate.

The continuous rain crammed all the remaining planes into the hangar, all the pilots had to stay in the dormitories, and the bad weather even prevented everyone from going to Gomel for recreation. It's as if they've been forgotten, as if they're out of the war.

After such a comfortable and peaceful life for a long time, people will have delusions, so Herzman's phone call can be regarded as pulling Koch back to reality, and it also reminds him of the bad experience of being humiliated by the Soviet army in the swamp.

Lawrence personally drove to the station of the air brigade, his jeep wheels were covered with mud and even the wagons were dirty.

"It's really interesting how the environment here is the same as the front line! This group of people is also stuck in the mud?! ”

It was still important to get down to business, he muttered a few words, then carried the rocket wreckage and went directly to Koch's office under the guidance of the garrison.

After a brief greeting, I quickly got to the point.

Koch finally got his hands on the so-called "rain rocket", but he consciously told him that it was not the case at all.

"It seems that our old friend has a rich imagination, and it is inconceivable to expect this little rocket to produce continuous rainfall."

"Yes! You think so?! Lawrence emphasized, "This thing was made by the Russians of the 284th Division, and it is said that they are now also renamed the 63rd Army." It's normal for this force to make some weird weapons, we ......"

"You don't have to say these unfounded words! Look at this rocket, although I don't know what it does, it must not be the rain to blame! As for the continuous rains of the previous few days, this is a purely climatic phenomenon. I hope your division commander will stop thinking nonsense! ”

"However, we should also consider the possibility that the Russians will control the rain!"

"Forget it!" Koch gave him a blank look: "Could it be that the front-line troops are already so afraid of the Russians?!" I'll admit, they're really strong, but are you really naïve to think that they have some kind of divine power? My God, it's impossible! However, what exactly is this rocket with a parachute for, I think, it may be a flare! As for whether it is a flare or not, it must also be handed over to a professional chemical agency to analyze the composition of the wreckage in the body of the bomb before making a judgment. ”

Speaking of which, Koch denied the Russians the possibility of rainfall, and it seems that there is some truth to its use as a night-lighting rocket.

Lawrence was completely confused, not knowing what to say.

Koch handed the rocket wreckage to the adjutant and said, "You are still welcome to send this rocket wreckage, we share information with each other, this is the key to victory." It's already evening, and I think you can stay here and I'll prepare a suitable room for you and your people to rest. ”

"No need! I have already chosen the officer's hotel in Gomel. Besides, I haven't been in town for two months! I have some other tasks for today's trip. ”

"I see. So you're going to go back right away?! ”

"Yes. If nothing else, I should have left after delivering the rocket. ”

Koch nodded: "Since that's the case, I won't send it." ”

The friendship between the aviation brigade and the 707th Division is not very deep, and if it is a friendship, the pilots here have more opportunities to talk and laugh with the officers and men of the 722nd Division.

Lawrence was the commander of the regiment, and the fact that he personally delivered the wreckage of the rocket has fully proved that his division commander attaches great importance to this matter. The arrival of Lawrence himself was a deep reminder of Koch.

After Lawrence's departure, the entire aviation brigade quickly convened an emergency military meeting.

At the meeting, Koch conducted a simple analysis of the wreckage and made a new decision - to quickly repair the airfield, level one place and release a White Stork reconnaissance plane after running to another high-altitude reconnaissance.