Hertzmann, commander of the German 707th Division, was delighted to welcome an old friend.

This so-called old friend was beaten by the Soviet army to the point of basically annihilation, Koch, who was originally stationed at the local field airfield, and he and the reorganized aviation brigade!

It was a humiliating defeat for Koch, as an expensive dive bomber that could have killed all sides was blown up at the airfield by a highly combat-ready partisan force. Many excellent pilots were killed on their beds by the enemy who broke into the airport at night.

The tragic loss of these excellent "eagles" in their nests was greater than the plane itself, and Koch, as the captain of the aviation group, was ultimately not responsible for the defeat, but after all, he disgraced the Third Reich, and he and his men had to take leave.

The battle on the front line was in full swing, and the emerging pilots quickly ended their vacations, except for Koch, who stayed in Babruisk and drank some beer every day to soak up the sun.

This kind of cozy and boring days finally broke in April. The large-scale airborne landing of the Soviet troops over the swamps, and the subsequent offensive operations against the surrounding German units, once again made the Germans realize that they actually had an air supremacy gap. The defeat of the Germans became a new life for Koch, and he, the captain of the aviation group, had another opportunity to lead his troops into battle.

Just north of Gomel, the Germans built another field airfield, which served as an air base for Koch's troops.

His old subordinates were also repatriated, except for a few pilots who had contributed to the battle, such as Adler. Of course, Koch's subordinates were not all recruits, and several pilots who flew more than 200 hours became the backbone of his air force.

There is even a pilot Paul who dares to brave the swamp to carry out reconnaissance and survive.

Koch's unit was part of the Fourth Air Force, and now only two air groups remained in Belarus, and in southern Belarus only Koch was the only one.

The air brigade was not large in the German Air Force, and Koch had 41 combat aircraft of all types, of which only 10 were dive bombers. He has more improved F190 fighters of excellent quality and can carry bombs, and the air combat capability of the entire group has been improved. The reason for this formation of troops is precisely because the 707th Division suffered a heavy loss in early April. When the Soviet Army's Lag 3 Army reappears, the Germans can use the F190 to beat up!

In addition to these combat planes, Koch also has five new reconnaissance planes under his command -- the Stork reconnaissance plane.

In 1943, due to a radio failure, Skorzny, who was responsible for rescuing Mussolini, temporarily summoned a stork reconnaissance plane to reconnoiter nearby, and took himself and Mussolini out of this dangerous situation.

On the plane, the Stork Fi156 reconnaissance aircraft began to equip the troops in 1942. Compared with other types of reconnaissance aircraft, this model is small and delicate and lightweight, which is very popular with Koch, and his pilot Paul is even more loved.

Since the good equipment has been pulled to the hangar, they will not always lie in the nest.

The crushing defeat of the 734th Division and the defeat of the 6th Division of the Romanian Army took place almost in thirty days, as if the Soviet troops in the swamp had begun an offensive frenzy. The 707th and 722nd Divisions, which were stationed on the road, were put into combat readiness, and Koch was ordered to be ready for action at any time.

Soon, the aviation group was given their first military mission after their comeback - reconnaissance.

The Germans had a reason to retaliate, and since it was unrealistic to send ground troops on a major offensive, let the air force enter the war! If you find a factory where the Soviet army manufactures weapons and carry out a critical attack, this is the best revenge for the enemy. Before carrying out the bombing, the first thing to do is to find the enemy's hiding place.

Paul will never forget his frenzied runaway, a great disgrace in his life, and when the reconnaissance mission came down, he was first called to Koch's office.

Now Koch was full of confidence in the future of the brigade, and he took the command document in his hand and read it to the five pilots present.

He continued to say with great interest: "Gentlemen, our greatest enemies are the Russians in the swamp! Now our airfields are more defended, and friendly forces have laid out narrow minefields in the south. The enemy can no longer attack us, and now is our chance to take revenge. You've all understood the mission, now tell me, who of you would like to go deep into the swamp?! ”

Truth be told, these pilots are not fools either. In previous reconnaissance operations, five reconnaissance planes went to the swamp and indeed found an important target for the enemy, a field airfield. Figuring out its location, the reconnaissance plane also paid a great price, and the only one who survived at that time was Paul standing in this office.

Everyone looked at each other, and this attitude was obviously not wanting to participate.

What they thought, Koch knew at a glance, and he slapped the table fiercely: "Okay! You pilots who boast of making meritorious contributions to the Third Reich now have an opportunity to do so! How? Are they all cowardly? I know that the enemy has a certain amount of air defense, can this alone be used as a reason to retreat?! ”

"Then I'll do it!" Paul stepped forward and stood out.

"Oh?! It's you! You are much braver than your fellow citizens. ”

He looked left and right and sighed slightly: "It's not their fault, the enemy's anti-aircraft firepower is not weak, entrusting the reconnaissance mission to these recruits, I am worried that our excellent new reconnaissance aircraft will be easily damaged." I have experience with the swamp and I will try this time. ”

Koch frowned: "Of course you will work hard, you will report when you find a valuable target of the enemy, and your reconnaissance will lead our army to tactical bombing." But you're still on your own after all, it's not appropriate! You need wingmen! ”

"Nope! I'll go it alone! My comrades-in-arms, who don't know anything about the swamp, can't help me, but the goal becomes bigger, and it is likely to bring unnecessary losses to our army! ”

Hearing him say this, Koch felt that there was some truth. Also, this Koch was lucky. At that time, he was able to fly over the Chernoby with a battered reconnaissance plane, and calmly parachuted into the friendly army, which shows that his ability is extraordinary. Maybe this guy shouldn't have been a reconnaissance pilot, he could fly a fighter jet through the sky.

According to the order, this air force group was to start reconnaissance operations in the early morning of 28 May.

Because this was the first operation of the brigade after its return, on the evening of May 27, the brigade also held a small drinking party for Paul, a brave warrior in the swamp.

Drinking some dark beer will never get drunk, and Paul understands the kindness of his comrades, and he is full of confidence in tomorrow's action.

After all, the car has changed. The new stork reconnaissance plane, in addition to its lightness, has a high increase in speed and fuel load, and it can fly to an altitude of 4,000 meters! What does this mean? Although it is difficult to distinguish the important facilities of the Soviet army in the forest with the naked eye at such a high altitude, it is completely immune to enemy bullets. He can fly high for a long time, and he believes that as long as he observes for a long time, valuable targets can always be found.