Chapter 22 Chairman of the Supreme Defense Committee

  Rasul gently grasped the cyclic, his right hand advancing the throttle, and the AH-1 gunship, like a lithe cobra, stretched and climbed, beginning its return.

  They were a small team, four helicopters, who had been scouting in the swamp for several days, hoping to find a road that tanks could pass through and set up a refueling station in a relatively solid place in the middle of the swamp.

  The AH-1 "Cobra" helicopter is a dedicated anti-tank armed helicopter developed by Bell Helicopter Company for the US Army in the mid-1960s. Its two high-power engines make it highly maneuverable, with the crew of two seated in tandem, the front seat being the gunner and the rear seat being the pilot, providing an excellent field of view to effectively engage enemy targets. The side pylons can carry "TOW" anti-tank missiles, 70mm rocket pods and one M61A1 "Vulcan" cannon, making it extremely powerful in firepower.

  Since Iran introduced this helicopter, it has been used as the main force equipment, but since President Khomeini came to power, the accessories of this helicopter have lost their source.

  Helicopters have certain parts that need to be consumed as soon as they are started, and replaced according to flight time. The Cobras, which were once ubiquitous in the skies of Iran, are now restricted from use, with some in poor condition even being used for organ donation to ensure other aircraft can fly.

  Although Tehran has purchased it through secret channels, so far no response has been received.

  This reconnaissance mission is of great importance, and if a tank were to be used for reconnaissance in the swamp, it would be too dangerous. That's why the flying squad was sent to carry out this task.

  They were extremely lucky to have found a certain highland in the middle of the swamp, where the ground was still solid rock, very stable, and this place served as a storage point for fuel and ammunition, which was very safe.

  They knew how dangerous the next task of the armored troops would be.

  As we approached the base, there was only a faint light in order to prevent air raids.

  "Head, we're home." said Shamsdin in front.

  "Something doesn't seem right. What are those black things tied up in bundles down there?" Rasul said, looking through the side armor-plated glass.

  "It's probably those armored troops who did it." Shamustin said carelessly: "Or should I turn on the navigation lights to take a look?"

  Forget it, Rasul has already seen the circle he needs to dock at, a ground crew is holding a glowing baton directing him to land.

  He pushed the rudder with his left foot, and the helicopter turned half a circle in mid-air. The general lowered his noble head, slowly descending.

  "Thud!" The landing gear made contact with the ground smoothly, everything was just like in peacetime training. He shut off the engine, the huge propellers stopped rotating, opened the side glass window, Rasul and Shamsuddin jumped out.

  Holding flight helmets, Rasul and Shamsuddin had not yet moved when they heard the ground crew say: "Report to Captain, General Sharaf is waiting for both of you in the combat situation room."

  General Sharaf? The two knew that General Sharaf was the commander-in-chief of this operation, an armored division and two infantry brigades were all waiting for orders here.

  Fortunately, this time a place was found to set up a supply station, and when General Sharaf asks about it later, there will be something to report.

  The two of them straightened their clothes and walked briskly towards the war room.

  "Report!"

  "Come in!"

  Two men pushed open the door and saw several high-ranking military officers sitting inside the war room, with the lowest rank being major general.

  However, everyone was surrounding the person in the middle and reporting something to him.

  The man sitting in the middle chair has some white hair, but his spirit is still very spirited. He is listening to the report of the armored division commander next to him.

  As he saw the two men enter, he raised his head. Rasul and Shamsuddin both exclaimed in unison: "Good day, Chairman!"

  Seated in the middle is Abolhassan Banisadr, also the first president of Iran after the Iranian Revolution.

  Abdolhossein, born in Hamedan, Iran. He studied theology and law at the University of Tehran. During his university years, he was affected by the corruption of the high-ranking officials within the country and the miserable lives of the ordinary people, participated in anti-monarchist student groups, was imprisoned twice, and was injured in a riot in 1963. Later he went to Paris IV University in France for further study.

  During his time in France, Abolhassan Bani-Sadr had frequent contacts with the Iranian resistance led by Ayatollah Khomeini. In 1979 he returned to Iran with Khomeini and became active in the Islamic revolution. He was appointed minister of economics and finance in the new government and also served as acting foreign minister.

  After the success of the Iranian Revolution, Abolhassan Bani-Sadr was elected president by popular vote. Although he had the support of Ayatollah Khomeini at first, his relations with the Islamic Republic Party were not good and ideological differences led him to gradually lose Khomeini's confidence. Later, Khomeini deprived him of his military leadership position.

  However, following Iraq's surprise attack on Iran in September of the same year, Abolhassan was reappointed as the chairman of the Supreme Defence Council and spent most of his time at the command centre on the front lines.

  As an Iranian who yearned for his country's greatness, Abolqasem Ferdowsi did his best; he was always preparing to counter-attack Iraq, and this time crossing the Susangerd swamp from behind and attacking the Iraqis' rear was his idea.

  Now, as Chairman of the Supreme Defense Council, he has come to the front line in person to see how things are going.

  Whether this side can attack smoothly will determine the next battle of the counterattack in Abadan on the southern front, so he is very concerned.

  Abolhassan Banisadr was unaware that in Tehran a plot against him was unfolding, and within days he would be forced to flee Iran for France, where he would form an opposition government-in-exile and declare himself president.

  "Our brave little fellow is back. He has been hovering over the marshes of Susangirld for so long, has he found a suitable place?" asked Aber.

  "Report to the chairman, we finally found a piece of land with an area of several hundred meters, which is enough for our oil trucks to park, and underneath it are huge rocks, very solid." Rasul said.

  Everyone present felt relieved when they heard this sentence, and their top priority finally had a clear direction.

  "Justice will always belong to our great Iran, God is with us!" Abel said: "Our tanks, can they enter the swamp?"

  "Report to the chairman, if there is sufficient fuel supply, we can set out at any time." Said Rajavi, commander of the armored division: "Although our Chieftain tanks have difficulty moving in the swampy area, but we have made arrangements in advance."

  "Oh? Do you have any good ideas?" Abel asked.

  "Report to the chairman, within these few days, we will cut down all the reeds around us, bundle them up, and when advancing, each armored vehicle will carry several bundles. As we move forward, we'll use them to pad the swamp below, so that we can pave a road through the swamp! The wheeled vehicles transporting fuel supplies can also pass on this road. Moreover, the meteorological department predicts that there won't be any rainy days in the next half month, and our attack action will go very smoothly."

  No wonder I saw so many bundles outside just now, it turns out they were used for this. The commander of this armored division has a good idea! Even Rasul admires this brilliant idea.

  "Uh, okay, but be careful, you don't want to get caught by their aerial reconnaissance during the march," Abel said. Due to the loss of spare parts for the powerful F-14 fighter jets, fewer than 40 planes were able to take off and fight, and they also had to defend key locations like Dezful. The once-mighty Iranian air force was already beginning to weaken at the start of the war.

  "The Iraqis were not interested in this swamp at all and would never have guessed that we would attack from here." Rajavi said with a smile.

  PS: Although it's the weekend, I've been working overtime at the office and haven't had time to write much. Every day is a rush of writing in the morning and adding more during lunch breaks. Next week might be easier. Tonight, I plan to make a push for the rankings around midnight. If you readers are still awake then, please click on the recommendation button. I'll add one or two extra chapters as thanks. Thank you all for your support.